Creative England launches £1m games support programme for South West
A one million pound programme providing expertise and grants for emerging and established games companies in the South West has been launched by Creative England.
Creative England GamesLab, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and supported by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF), is the agency’s first ever dedicated support scheme for the games industry.
The programme of investment which includes funding, workshops and business expertise is designed to aid and sustain the growth of the South West’s burgeoning games industry through the development of innovative games and Intellectual Property. Working with emerging and established companies, Creative England GamesLab aims to create the conditions necessary for the most innovative and commercially astute games companies from around the region to flourish.
Creative England’s Head of Games & Digital Media, Jaspal Sohal, said: “The UK video game industry is already at the forefront of both technical and creative excellence with British studios creating some of the most popular video games titles in the world.
"Creative England GamesLab will help the next generation of games developers take advantage of this growing market and support them in reaching their commercial and creative potential.”
Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry, said: “TIGA welcomes Creative England GamesLab as an imaginative initiative which will provide a valuable boost for the UK’s South West games developers.
"Access to funding is an issue for many small businesses, but is particularly keenly felt in Britain’s high-tech industries. What is especially encouraging about this investment programme are the workshops and business expertise that come as part of the supporting package, this is essential for creating sustainable growth.
"We look forward to working further with Creative England for the benefit of our members and the whole industry.”
Games developers can apply for grants from £10,000 to £50,000* for the development of a commercial game on console, desktop or mobile platforms. Investments must be matched by a minimum of 50 per cent per beneficiary company and the game must be completed no later than October 15, 2014.
The closing date for applications is September 16, 2013, at midday.
Working with employers, students and individuals, Creative England GamesLab will also deliver initiatives to create jobs and ensure the retention of established and emerging talent within the region to sustain the growth it aims to deliver during its two-year lifespan.
Creative England GamesLab is just one of the initiatives that will make up Creative England's nationwide programme of activity to support the Games industry in England which will be launched later this year.
Creative England programme of work will support the continued growth of this sector and build on the success of its pilot investment fund* which supported the prototyping and development of games content for Sony PlayStation mobile.
Creative England GamesLab is funded by the ERDF (£500,000), supported by the RGF (£250,000) and led by Creative England. The remaining £250,000 of the fund is made up of Creative England and private company investment.
For more information and to apply, visit www.gameslab.uk.com and follow them on twitter at @CEGameslab.
* Last year, Creative England, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios Europe (SCE WWS) – acting through its External Development Studio (XDEV) and Birmingham Science Park, launched an indie developers’ pilot fund for PlayStation Mobile. The fund was designed to deliver a game concept and prototype including presentation, design briefs and visualisation representative of the proposed final quality. Nosebleed Interactive from Newcastle scooped the £25,000 pilot funding with 'The Horde', a new game based around the concept of world domination by a zombie horde.
