This document provides information about applying for development funding from the EU Creative Europe Programme for video game development. It outlines the eligibility requirements, including needing to demonstrate that the applicant company has produced and commercially distributed a previous video game within the last two years. It describes what types of costs are eligible for funding, such as creative development, prototyping, and business/marketing costs to help secure further financing to complete the game. The funding can only be used for development up to the first playable prototype, and the supported projects must feature both narrative and interactive elements.
1. - Hi!
We’re here to bring you up to speed with how you can apply for development funding
from the EU through the Creative Europe Programme. We are Kåre and Anders from
the Norwegian and Swedish Creative Europe Desks.
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2. The Creative Europe programme supports European creative and cultural industries.
Creative Europe is the result of the earlier MEDIA programme and Culture programme
being merged together. The MEDIA sub-program supports the european audiovisual
industry.
There’s one deadline per year – the last one was in March this year.
We expect the next call to be published in October with deadline in March 2016. But
these are preliminary dates and changes may occur.
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3. If you have never applied before, the scheme might look a little overwhelming at first -
but remember that your local Creative Europe desk is there to help you and guide you
through the application.
Each country has a Desk, and you find them all on this link.
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6. You need to be able to demonstrate that YOUR COMPANY has produced one previous
video game – that has been commercially distributed in the last two years.
You do need to be able to prove that your company was the one behind this previous
game in particular - either through the credits on-screen, or a financing plan, or if it was
a produced in collaboration with another company then an agreement or contract could
be provided between the two to show that your company led the development.
And you must show that the reference work has been commercially distributed during
the two years preceding the publication of the call – which will be 1st of january 2013 if
the call is published in 2015.
Again for both the track record and the proposed game we are also looking for projects
which feature both of narrative and interactive elements, but also bear in mind that it
must not fall in to one of those non-eligible categories. So puzzle games are out, sports
games are out, promotional games, ebooks etc etc
You’ll also need to provide evidence that clearly shows that the game has been
commercially released. This could be through a publishing contract, or sales report, or
some kind of distribution agreement – but we should highlight that demonstrating that
the game is out there is not really enough – we need to see that people are PAYING for
the game in some way or another, and paying for it within that required time frame.
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7. For games that are free to the user we are going to want to see evidence of how that
game has generated income – either through in game purchases, advertising, etc. If you
can’t provide this then I’m afraid you won’t be considered eligible.
So, say you do meet tick all of those boxes…how are the applications assessed?
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10. The Creative Europe support is for development only – and in this scheme development
is defined as up to the realisation of the first playable prototype. Production starts when
you are testing and debugging your first prototype - and it must be at least 8 MONTHS
from the date that you submit your application to the date that you start that work.
So, what can you apply to spend this money on?
Firstly there’s the creative development of the project: the creation of content,
developing visual concepts (characters, backgrounds...),
The realisation of a prototype of the game, trial version, alpha version or beta version,
whichever comes first.
Then there are the financial or business costs that comes with trying to get a game
financed: Preparation of a business plan and financing plan, the provisional production
budget, the production schedule
As well as the search for and identification of investors - This could include travel to
meet potential investors, Initial marketing and sales plans (target markets and buyers,
presentation on markets, etc.)
The whole purpose of the scheme is that it allows you to put together a really attractive
package at those earlier stages which you can then take to investors to ask for further
finance to complete the game.
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