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Gamecity Hamburg will support six games projects in the 2023 funding cycle with a total amount of 410,000 Euros as part of its Prototype Financing programme. The funding is available to Hamburg-based companies and startups for the development of digital game prototypes with high potential. Three start-ups, who have graduated successfully from Gamecity Hamburg’s Games Lift Incubator, are among the recipients of funding. The application period for the incubator program runs until 20 June.
The awarding committee, once again, was impressed with the quality of the projects submitted and decided to use the entire budget for the Prototype funding in 2023. The next funding round’s application phase will begin in spring 2024. The Prototype funding has supported 27 prototypes in total with 1,536,00 euros since the fifth round of funding was launched in 2020.
The applications we received show the positive impact of our future funding programs and professionalization offers. Three of the teams funded in this round already completed our Games Lift incubator programme. Along with newly-founded companies, established studios were also recipients of funding. “This once again demonstrates the versatility and potential Hamburg has as a gaming location,” Dennis Schoubye said, head of Gamecity Hamburg.
The projects funded 2023
Amberdive Interactive’s METACORE – EUR 80000
Project Renaissance by Tiny Roar: EUR 80,000
Reddie – ReRun of Reality – EUR 80 000 by Curvature Games
Light of Atlantis – EUR 70.000 by DrownTown
Godcomplex Games’ Stack ‘Em up – EUR 70.000
Beardshaker Games: How to find friends – EUR 30.000
METACORE – Amberdive Interactive
Amberdive Interactive further developed its co-op shooting game METACORE at the Games Lift Incubator 2020. Players can work in teams of four to fight through the ruins of an alien world and defend themselves from machine guards. Multi-purpose cores are a unique game mechanic that allows players to transform into small high-tech spheres. This opens up many options for team play.
Project Renaissance – Tiny Roar
This point-and-click game is from the established indie studio Tiny Roar. Players take on Joy, a character who embarks on a journey of self-knowledge when a baby falls into her hut. Tiny Roar hopes to attract both adventure game fans and genre enthusiasts with Project Renaissance.
Reddie – ReRun Reality – Curvature Games
Curvature Games allows players to experience mixed-reality adventures as “Reddie”, the character in this innovative game. The players have to switch between dimensions and realities repeatedly in order to solve the problem. The players can also interact with their actual environment by using mixed reality.
Light of Atlantis DrownTown
This 2D puzzle Metroidvania with jump ‘n run elements allows players to control “water”, not the beautifully drawn robot character, in the underwater world Atlantis.
Godcomplex Games – Stack ‘Em up
This crazy party game allows up to four players. Players eat cute “slime packs” along with their friends. The “stacks”, which are the result of involuntary cooperation, are formed this way. Godcomplex Games fine-tuned the game idea using the Games Lift Incubator 2020.
Beardshaker games: How to find friends
How to Find Friends, a hidden object game with a warm atmosphere, challenges players to find unusual creatures in large patterns. Witch & Owl, the protagonists of the game, help players and narrate enchanting stories about the creatures.
Between March 3 and April 5, 24 Hamburg-based developers, startups, or companies applied for the Gamecity Hamburg Prototype funding. The selection was made by the awarding committee consisting of Hamburg experts Nina Muller, Head of Publishing at Goodgame Studios, Jonas Husges, Publishing Director of Daedalic Entertainment, Valentina Birke, Head of Project Indie Arena Booth/ Super Crowd Entertainment, Jens Unrau, Head of Department Media and Digital Economy of Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg, and Dennis Schoubye, the head of Gamecity Hamburg.
In addition to Prototype funding, Gamecity Hamburg organizes the annual Games Lift Incubator program for all developers, start-ups, and teams from Hamburg’s gaming industry, regardless the status of their project. The Games Lift Incubator provides 15,000 Euros each year to five teams, as well as a comprehensive mentoring, coaching and workshop program by international experts in the games industry. The Games Lift Incubator also provides a year-long support to the teams in the form individual mentoring, which allows them to develop their game and project ideas.
Teams and developers are invited to apply for the Games Lift Incubator before June 20.
