UK independent companies are set to receive £510,000 from lottery funding
The BFI National Lottery Innovation Challenge is set to distribute £510,000 to support four groundbreaking ventures within the UK games sector.
This financial boost is intended to aid independent gaming enterprises in developing open data collections and pioneering tools and strategies to benefit developers from underrepresented groups.
The initial recipients of this funding include:
- Games Insight Database by Into Games CIC
- UK Video Games Econometrics by UKIE and Open Knowledge across Research and Entertainment (OKRE)
- Aurora business development accelerator by Code Coven
- Access to Market: Self-Publishing Toolkit by Film London
The Games Insights Database, in collaboration with Games Jobs Live and education/research experts Birds Eye View, is designed to assist independent studios by offering data on workforce dynamics, skills, salary comparisons, and funding opportunities.
UKIE, alongside OKRE, will deliver UK Video Games Econometrics to evaluate the economic, societal, and cultural contributions of the gaming industry, aiming to clearly demonstrate its value.
Code Coven's Aurora seeks to enhance the business acumen and financial savvy of underrepresented developers, as well as connect them with publishers and investors.
Film London's Games London division will oversee the Access to Market: Self-Publishing Toolkit. This project will span two years and involve up to 12 indie game companies participating in business development workshops. These insights will be compiled into a toolkit.
Rishi Coupland, BFI director of research and industry innovation, expressed enthusiasm, stating, "We're thrilled to be backing these four projects, which propose innovative approaches to a range of challenges facing the UK's video games industry."
"Together, these projects promise to deliver further creative and commercial success for the video games industry, through a focus on data, insights, market access, and diversity," Coupland added.
