From March 4 to April 11, founders, start-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can apply for the Prototype Funding program of Gamecity Hamburg. The program supports the development of prototypes of digital games in Hamburg. New in this funding round: For prototypes that aim to cumulate funding with the German federal government's computer games funding or other public funding programs, up to 120,000 euros can now be applied for, instead of the previous maximum of 80,000 euros. Gamecity Hamburg will support game developers in 2022 within the framework of prototype funding in two funding rounds with a total funding budget of 400,000 euros, which will be awarded as a non-repayable grant.

"The various funding programs at German state, federal and EU level are important start-up funding for promising projects from the Hamburg games industry. We want to further facilitate access to the various funding programs for developers and enable the most effective use of the programs. By increasing the prototype funding to up to 120,000 euros per project, we are supporting developers in the realization of larger projects in conjunction with the other funding programs for the games industry," explains Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg. Up to 80 percent of the project costs can be funded; if no cumulation with other funding programs is sought, the maximum grant is 80,000 euros per project.

Since the beginning of the first funding round in 2020, the Prototype Funding program has supported 16 game projects with a total of 841,000 euros. The program provides game developers with important financial start-up support for their market entry and promotes the diversity and quality of the computer games developed in Hamburg, as the teams of developers can fully concentrate on their projects with the help of the funding.

The game projects funded so far show the wide range and diversity of games that are developed in Hamburg: from immersive VR games like "Crumbling", "ARC BREAK" and "STADTKINDER", puzzle platformers like "Fantasma Ville" and "Turbo Shell", action games like "Lost Sector" and "The Invitation" to projects like the couch co-op game "Wild Woods" or the dark fantasy card game "Soulitaire". Projects that bridge the gap to other areas have also already been funded, such as the serious game "Mambio", which supports children with and without disabilities in learning math, or the fitness game "CR4NKUP", which combines bicycle training with motivating playful elements in a large online world.

The application process

Eligible to apply for prototype funding are:

• Developers and teams of developers
• or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),
• that are based in Hamburg
• or who are relocating their headquarters to Hamburg
• or open a branch office/branch of operations in Hamburg

A consultation appointment with Gamecity Hamburg is mandatory and recommended no later than two weeks before the submission deadline, April 11, in order to optimally prepare applicants for the application. Interested developers should contact funding@gamecity-hamburg.de to arrange an appointment.

An awarding committee consisting of representatives of the games industry, Gamecity Hamburg and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg will decide on the awarding of the funding after the end of the application phase on April 11 on the basis of the applications and a subsequent pitch by the applicants.

A second round of Prototype Funding is already planned for the second half of the year. The application phase for this will start on August 29, 2022.

All further information on application, a comprehensive FAQ, required templates and the link to the online application can be found at: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/funding/

Interested developers are invited to the Gamecity Hamburg Discord server to exchange information about prototype funding: https://discord.gg/gamecityhamburg

News about the Prototype Funding and other topics can be found in the monthly Gamecity Hamburg newsletter: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/newsletter/

For further information and questions please contact:

Johannes Klockenbring
Gamecity Hamburg
PR Manager
T +49 – 40 – 23 72 435 74
johannes.klockenbring@gamecity-hamburg.de