Manual on International Cooperation for BSR-Wide Game Business Development Output 3.5 of the BGI project 10ipei01s 91101010 S 9 0100QIOLD T bgi

The manual summarises all the findings, lessons learnt and conclusions from the work on internationalisation, ideas for cooperation and recommendations to the different actors in game business. Authors AHK Service SIA www.ahk-balt.org BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH www.bgz-berlin.de Hamburg Institute of International Economics www.hwwi.org Tartu Science Park Foundation www.teaduspark.ee Editor BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH Pohlstraße 67 D – 10785 Berlin phone: +49 (30) 809941-0 fax: +49 (30) 809941-20 [email protected] www.bgz-berlin.de Pictures Title page: © iStock.com-bedya, © iStock.com/arcoss

Content EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .4 1. INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS IN GAME INCUBATION 6 a) Catering to International Teams 7 b) International Incubation Programme 8 Topics of International Relevance 8 International Environments 11 2. INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IN GAME INCUBATION 14 a) Making a Case for a Game Incubation Network 15 BGI Case Study: “Baltic Sea Game Incubation Network” 17 b) Creating a Common Identity: Joint Visibility & Public Engagement 19 Industry and Regional Branding 19 BGI Case Study: “Baltic Sea Games” Branding 21 Common Award Competition 26 BGI Case Study: “Baltic Sea Games Award” 26 Joint Appearance at Game Event ..29 c) Knowledge Management & Transfer 30 Meetings and Workshops 30 Shared Body of Knowledge 30 Shared Database 31 Shared Newsletter or Blog 32 d) Collaborative Ecosystem Activities 32 The Incubation Ecosystem 32 BGI recommendation: Mentor & Investor Competence Building 33 Special Incubation Topics 33 BGI Recommendation: Online Webinar 34 BGI Recommendation: Themed Transnational Workshops 35 International Incubation Environment 35 BGI Recommendation: Summer Academy or Bootcamp 36 3. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUPPORTING THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF REGIONAL GAME BUSINESS IN THE BSR 37 4. REFERENCES 40 5. ANNEXES 43

Executive Summary The project “Baltic Game Industry” (BGI)¹ aims towards boosting the game industry in the Baltic Sea region (BSR), increasing the capacity for innovation and transforming the regional game industry into a global player with worldwide competitiveness. Joining public and industry perspectives togeth er, the project focussed on improving the external framework conditions for the industry and fostering talent growth from within through game incubation strategies. By definition² a business incubator is a facility established to nurture young (startup) companies during their early months or years. It often includes providing affordable space, shared offices and services, hand-on management training, marketing support and access to some form of financing. Frequently, this entails or requires a network for the ecosystem, i.e. for the education sector, for industry facilitators, services, experts, consultants, media, established companies, etc. A core element of the project was a pilot investigation into the value and utilisation of international co-operation for game business development within the BSR. This manual summarises the findings, lessons learnt, conclusions and recommendations that the project partners gathered as part of the project pilot. International aspects in game incubation are the focus of the first part of the manual, while the second part focuses on international co-operation of game incubators.

ses the findings, lessons learnt, conclusions and recommendations that the project partners gathered as part of the project pilot. International aspects in game incubation are the focus of the first part of the manual, while the second part focuses on international co-operation of game incubators. Fundamentally, it is crucial to understand what the term “international aspects in game incubation” means and constitutes for the practical realisation of game incubation. On the one hand, as a structural issue, an incubator might want to cater to international teams. Most incubators in the BSR for example, tend to cater to game developers from the region the incubator is based in. Catering to teams beyond national borders is an issue that entails aspects of language, funding, as well as for example visa permits. On the other hand, as a content issue, it could be desired to make the incubation programme itself an international one. For that, challenges of competitiveness in international markets need to be considered, as well as international environments for startups in the incubator. 1 Baltic Game Industry (BGI): http://baltic-games.eu. 2 BusinessDictionary “business incubator”: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/business - incubator.html.

International co-operation of game incubators can be approached from a variety of different angles. For the purpose of the pilot investigation, the following approaches were considered to be central and are therefore part of this manual. These approaches are a “common network”, a “common identity”, a “common knowledge base” and “collaborative ecosystem activities”. All these approaches have been extensively investigated during pilot three of the BGI project and the resulting case studies are a reflection on the above -mentioned approaches. Based on the investigation into these different approaches, into their advantages an d disadvantages, a common network has been identified as a most potent driving force for other practices of international collaboration in game incubation. As it can offer a foundation for the other above -mentioned practices, the case for a game incubation network is the starting point for the pilot’s insights. The “Baltic Sea Game Incubation Network”, initiated during BGI, provides valuable learnings for the future. Creating a common identity, as a key approach to international co-operation in game incubation is the topic of the next chapter. After explaining the basics, this manual can prove to be especially useful by referencing the “Baltic Sea Games” branding initiated during BGI, as well as the “Baltic Sea Games Award” that was realised during the BGI project. Furthermore, joint event booths are examined as means for brand promotion and collaboration.