The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Courier award winner awaits new bids for UK games grants
The Dundee-based UK Games Fund – winner of Deal of the Year prize at The Courier Business Awards – has launched the latest Government grant scheme to find the nation’s next big video game.
UK games developers can secure up to £25,000 in the programme that supports video games projects and helps to develop new talent.
The UK’s video games sector plays a vital role in the creative industries which contributes £84 billion to the UK economy.
The launch in London meant it was straight back to business for UK Games Fund head Paul Durrant, who said: “This is a great start to the week follow- ing our success at The Courier Business Awards.
“It’s hard to believe that we’re just one year to the day from starting up.
“Saturday’s event was a great reminder for us that, whilst we serve the whole UK, there’s some fabulous talent in all sectors of business right on our doorstep.”
The fund has helped 50 developers from across the UK transform their gaming dreams into reality thanks to more than £1.3m in UK Government grants.
Digital Minister Matt Hancock said: “The UK is a world leader when it comes to making video games, and we’re determined to make sure this continues.”
He was visiting the Sensible Object studios in London to see how their designs are brought to the market.
Sensible Object won funding from the first round to bring their game Beasts of Balance to life.
Mr Durrant added: “We’re excited about this funding round, given the high demand and the quality of projects we’ve seen so far. Sensible Object’s rapid progress shows just what we can achieve when we assist the UK’s top games development talent.”
His company UK Games Talent & Finance set up the UK Games Fund, which has won £4m from the UK Government for the games development industry, an achievement that earned The Courier’s deal of the year accolade.