Video Games Prototype Fund aims to help gaming startups

Grants of up to £25,000 will be given to “new and young” developers create a prototype and up to £50,000 will be available to take games beyond the prototype phase.

The fund will aim to support small and start-up companies turn ideas into reality and will reinforce a growth business that has provided world global blockbusters like Tomb Raider, Little Big Planet, Runescape, Monument Valley and Batman: Arkham Knight. Indeed the scheme is the successor to one which was run by Abertay University, located in the Scottish city, between 2010 and 2014.

“Britain’s video games punch well above their weight internationally and we need to build on this and invest in the strength of our creativity”, said culture minister Ed Vaizey.

As well as direct funding, the UK Games Fund will also be setting up game jams and competitions to try and encourage people to try out developing for the first time.

The United Kingdom has found £4m (US$6.1m AUD$8.4m) to “boost the UK’s growing video games industry”.

“Access to finance has been an ongoing challenge for small and micro games businesses, and the financial support of the fund, as well as the mentoring opportunities that are provided, will open doors to a huge amount of unearthed games talent in the UK”. The idea is to help games progress from “the drawing board and into the production”. “This fund is a great boost for the sector and will help projects better attract significant private investment”.

This latest initiative has been met with excitement from the video games industry, including Ian Livingstone CBE, a successful author of fantasy novels and gaming entrepreneur.

Those interesting in applying can find more information and relevant details on the official UK Games Fund site.

Established by non-profit UK Games Talent and Finance CIC, the new initiative will potentially be offering two tiers of funding. “Networking and collaborating is the lifeblood of our sector, and the more diverse your teams are, the more you will have a game that does something different”.