Deadline Date: March 16, 2026
The CODE national Funding Programme is inviting grant applications to support experienced game developers in Aotearoa New Zealand in establishing successful game companies and bringing their first game to commercial launch.
The fund focuses on games intended for global consumer audiences, serious and health-related games, educational games, narrative and non-narrative format games, free-to-play and premium games, and projects across VR, AR, mobile, tablet, console, installation, PC, and multi-platform formats, with the objective of helping experienced Aotearoa New Zealand-based developers launch commercially with mentor support.
The StartUp Fund offers financial support ranging from $60,000 to $250,000. It is designed for talented individuals or teams with vision who are ready to build commercially viable digital interactive games. The initiative seeks to help developers form new companies and bring their first titles to market.
Applicants must be based in Aotearoa New Zealand. They may apply as individuals or groups of individuals aged 18 years or older, or as a business entity incorporated in Aotearoa New Zealand. Work for the funded project must be carried out in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the entity must operate its main business there, or the individuals must reside there.
Each applicant must declare that they are not insolvent or bankrupt, that no insolvency action has been taken or threatened against them, that no undisclosed information exists which could negatively affect the funding decision, and that there is no undeclared conflict of interest with CODE, its staff, or regular contributors in connection with the funding.
While undergraduate students aged over 18 may participate in projects with written permission from their training institution and approval from CODE, it is generally expected that applications consisting entirely of undergraduate students will not be successful, except in exceptional circumstances at CODE’s discretion.
Funding is available for digital-only, interactive game projects developed with commercial outcomes in mind.
For more information, visit CODE.
