Fifth Round of Funding Announced: UK

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
The UK Games Fund has opened applications for its fifth round of funding, with an expression of interest deadline set for January 28, 2019, at 12 noon.
02
Round 5 funding is specifically targeted at early-stage projects, offering a support package valued at £10,000, which includes a £5,000 grant.
03
The funding package is designed to help studios refine pitching skills and develop a playable demo for exhibition at a major consumer games show in the Autumn.
04
Since its inception in 2015, the £5 million UK Games Fund has provided support to over 70 UK-based development studios.
05
The funding announcement follows reports that the video game industry has surpassed the combined economic value of the UK's film and music sectors.

Summary

The UK Games Fund (UKGF) announced on January 8, 2019 a call for expressions of interest in its fifth funding round, aimed at supporting UK-based game developers building original video game IP. The announcement positions the round as a deliberate shift in strategy, shaped by the recent success of the fund's Pitch Development Programme.

Since launching in 2015, the £5 million UKGF has backed more than 70 development studios across the UK. Round 5 differs from earlier rounds by targeting applicants with early-stage projects. Each selected participant receives an initial support package valued at £10,000, of which £5,000 is direct grant funding. The package is designed to help teams sharpen their pitching skills and build a playable demo, which will be showcased at a major consumer games show in the autumn. That event gives participants a chance to collect feedback from both the public and industry professionals.

Paul Durrant, Head of the UKGF, said the Pitch Development Programme demonstrated that early-stage projects benefit significantly from community-based programmes that combine milestones, funding support and pitching practice, and that this evidence informed the Round 5 design.

The announcement also links the timing to an Entertainment Retailers Association report from the previous week, which found that video games now contribute more to the UK economy than music and film combined. Interested studios must submit an Expression of Interest form by 12 noon on Monday, January 28, with webinars and information sessions available to those who register.