Call for Proposals: Video Games and Immersive Content Development Programme

Objective

• Within the specific objective of promoting competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation and sustainability, including through mobility in the European audiovisual sector, one of the priorities of the MEDIA Strand is:
  • to nurture talents, competence and skills and to stimulate cross-border cooperation, mobility and innovation in the creation and production of European audiovisual works, encouraging collaboration across Member States with different audiovisual capacities.

Scope

• The MEDIA Strand shall provide support for the following measures:
  • Development of audiovisual works by European independent production companies, covering a variety of formats (such as feature films, short films, series, documentaries, narrative video games) and genres, and targeting diverse audiences, including children and young people.
• The support also aims to improve the competiveness of the European video games industry and other companies producing interactive immersive content in European and international markets by enabling the retention of intellectual property by European developers.

Funding Information

• The estimated available call budget is EUR 7 000 000.
• Duration: Projects should not normally exceed 36 months.

Expected Results

• Increased quality, appeal, feasibility and cross-border potential for selected projects.
• A stronger position on the European and international market for video games developers and companies producing interactive immersive experiences.

Activities to be funded

• Support will be given to the development of works and prototypes of interactive narrative storytelling with original content and/or quality gameplay intended for production and global commercial exploitation via PCs, consoles, mobile devices, tablets, smart phones and other technologies.
• The aim is to provide funds to video game production companies and other companies producing immersive content to develop works with a high level of originality and innovative and creative value, and that have a high level of commercial ambition and extensive cross-border potential to reach European and international markets. This will allow for further investment in innovative European content and increase the competitiveness of European companies in the digital global market.
• Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure a more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
    • Creative Europe Participating Countries:
      • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
      • non-EU countries:
        • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
  • be established in one of the countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe Programme and be owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. When a company is publicly listed, the location of the stock exchange will in principle determine its nationality.
  • be independent European audiovisual production companies that can demonstrate recent experience in producing internationally distributed works.

For more information, visit EC.