The UK Games Fund secured £5.5 million (or $6.7 million) from the country’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport at a recent Creative Industries event in Gateshead.
According to the UKGF, this funding will last throughout the 2025-2026 period and “eclipses all previously annual grants.” In past years, the government awarded a respective £5 million and £3 million to the organization in 2023 and 2024.
Driving growth in the UK’s creative fields
The funding is also part of larger £60 million package to “drive growth” amongst the country’s creative industry. Of that, £40 million was put toward start-up game developers, British film and music exports, and non-London creative businesses.
“We’re looking forward to be back supporting our community over the coming year,” wrote UK Games CEO Paul Durrant. “Times are challenging, and hopefully we can play a key role in the recovery.”
During the Gateshead event, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy emphasized the “key role” UK developers and their IP serve in the country’s economic development. She further highlighted how the UKGF’s support programs, such as its Tranzfuser graduate enterprise and DunDev residential accelerator, “have been shown to be highly impactful in driving growth.”
For start-ups and new developers interested in applying for funding, the UKGF said more news on that front will be offered “soon.”