The UK Games Fund (UKGF) Content Fund

Creative developers and start-up studios are invited to bid for a share of £5 million in government funding to turn their new video game ideas into market leaders. 

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DSMS) has announced an additional £5 million for the UK Games Fund as part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision – a joint plan between Government and industry to drive growth, build talent and develop skills across the creative sectors.

The new fund will provide UK games studios with grants of between £50,000 and £150,000 to support games in development and ready them for market. 

The funding, which will be available over the next 18 months, will support the development of intellectual property, allowing companies to attract investment and reach their next stage of growth. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

The fund may close periodically, therefore early applications are recommended.

Eligibility – The Applicant Company

Requirements:

• UK registered SME with PAYE employees engaged in games development work in the UK,
• Ownership explicitly set out and with UK-based founder-director/s as significant shareholder/s,
• The total previous grant and other subsidies not exceeding £315,000* over a three-year fiscal period (including any prior funding from us) in order to comply with UK subsidy control legislation. This funding is being operated within the terms of the minimum financial assistance (MFA) exemption*
• Not presently facing any acute working capital challenges or liabilities that put the business under any unusual levels of risk, and
• The founders able to fully articulate the rationale for all structural aspects of the business and the growth strategy in the context of building and growing a financially-sustainable UK-based games development studio and growing PAYE employment, particularly where there are any non-standard business configurations such as dispersed teams / high levels of contracting.

Preferences:

• We normally expect companies to not be a recently established start-up, or formed for the purposes of securing this grant. A start-up may be considered where supported by the founders’ effective articulation of the structural rationale as above alongside an immediate publishing opportunity secured because of founder track record.
• Some PAYE employees already onboard, in addition to the founding director/s.
• If previously funded by UKGTF, being able to demonstrate positive business progress as a result of the earlier support.
• Prior founder(s) track record having taken games through to completion and shipping.

* If you are successful in this application you will be required to sign a declaration confirming that you will monitor all MFA subsidies received within your company to ensure that this cap is not exceeded.