Back in 2016, Essex-based games company Semaeopus, located in Chelmsford, became one of the first recipients of the UK Games Fund to support the development of the studio’s Off Grid video game, an adventure-stealth game about an antihero that launched back in 2019.
The game and studio have experienced considerable success since then and it’s all thanks to the UK Games Fund, but what exactly is it and what does it?
The UK Games Fund
The UK Games Fund was founded in 2015 and provides new game studios with grants of up to £25,000 to support the development of new games as well as create jobs and help grow the gaming industry across the UK. Each year, the UK Games Fund selects around 20 different companies from across the nation to give its grants.
As stated by the UK Games Fund, the company awards grants based on merit and takes no ownership of IP, no equity, and does not offer any subjective views on the creative concept of a studio’s games. It means that studios are free in their choice of the game type they want to develop, whether it’s a real-time simulation game, MMO or even online slot. Casino games, especially, have become even more popular in recent years and online casinos in Great Britain often feature thousands of slots and table games. On the website www.sister-sites.co.uk, there is a glossary of all casino sites currently available in the UK.
Benefits of being selected include receiving the funds and being able to engage with other partners of the firm which allows for studios to hold virtual and face-to-face networking opportunities.
What Games Have Come Out Of The Fund?
The firm is currently in its sixth year of gifting grants to companies and has so far helped fund the development of over 100 different games, most of which have been released but many are still currently being developed.
Since it first launched, the UK Games Fund has helped develop games such as Off Grid by Semaeopus, The Last Night by Odd Tales, Spotorama by Bindy Street, Billie Bust Up by Blueprint Digital Media, Junk Wars by Rhizome Games, The Siege And The Sandfox by Cardboard Sword, Paradise Killer by Kaizen Game Works, Bloody Zombies by Paw Print Games, Rallyallyally by Hairy Heart Games, and so many others.
Currently, as part of its sixth year, the UK Games Fund is supporting Make Way by Ice BEAM, Purple Yonder development studio, Open Sky by Codebyfire, Theropods by Lost Token, Grim Earth by Clockwork Pixels, The City & The Stars by Bird In Sky Limited, Morse by ALJO Games, Aiyana by Laireon Games, and The Analyst by Altered Gene.
It’s also supporting Ozymandias by Secret Games Company, Police Game by Fallen Tree Games, Gastronaut by Mooncake Games, UEDI: Shadow Of The Citadel by Onion Soup Interactive, Growbeard by Jolly Good Games Limited, A Life Of Consequences by Silent Games, CityClick by Lost Native, and dozens more.
All of these are games you will see launch within the coming years with help and support from the UK Games Fund. Although initial reports stated that the UK Games Fund will run until 2019, the company has continued to run the campaign through this year so it’s unclear when the UK Games Fund will end.
