2026 Zagarolo Game City Acceleration Program (Italy)

The video game sector represents one of the fastest-growing areas of Lazio’s creative and digital economy. In recent years, the Lazio Region, through Lazio Innova, has supported the development of the regional gaming ecosystem through initiatives dedicated to training, pre-acceleration, and entrepreneurial support.

These initiatives include the pre-acceleration program “Zagarolo Game House” and the International Conferences on Game Design – “Zagarolo Game City”, carried out under the POR FESR Lazio 2014-2020 – Measure 3.5.1.

These initiatives have generated significant results, including: over 300 participants at Game Design Conferences, 10 project partners, 25 developed projects—testable and qualitatively certified by industry players—and 8 new startups based in Lazio.

As part of the “Active Space Network Strengthening Project – PR Lazio FESR 2021-2027 – Specific Objective 1.3 Strengthening the sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, also thanks to productive investments”, the Lazio Region, through Lazio Innova, intends to provide continuity to the initiatives and strengthen the ecosystem of development studios and professionals operating in the Lazio Region, in particular with the Zagarolo Game City Acceleration Program , which ensures high-value specialized skills that accompany the design and prototyping of a product in line with market trends and demand, up to the publication of the titles.

The program will also benefit from the contribution of technical partners selected through a specific “Call for Partners”, who will provide skills, know-how, business opportunities and design challenges (“Micro Challenges”) connected to emerging trends in the sector.

General Objectives

The program:

• offers professionals , teams of game designers , development studios and startups the opportunity to train and experiment with new gaming solutions , through a technological gym equipped with tools and skills that are difficult to access for those who are in the start-up and launch phase of their product;
• promotes opportunities for aggregation and networking , so that new talents in the video game sector can grow in the regional territory;
• promotes the activation of technical and commercial partnerships thanks to the possibility of applying as a partner (Call for Partners), even once the program has started.

Specific Objectives

The provision of support services for the development of video game products is foreseen:

• support for the development of technological and project solutions in the videogame sector through a game  factory with cutting-edge hardware and software;
• transfer of technical and vertical skills in the gaming sector
• support for the development of technological and organizational solutions with the complete definition of a product project and the possible development of a prototype;
• assistance in identifying potential users, partners and investors.

Who is the Call for Ideas aimed at?

• Informal Team
  • but structured, committed to the development of a videogame or /and hybrid games (Phygital, transmedia experience,  gamified experience , immersive  installation , LBX, TTRPG hybridized to digital) composed of professionals, graduates and students, with at least 2 of the following skills:
    • Game Developer;
    • Game Designer;
    • Artist.
  • The team must include at least 3 members.
• Startups and Development Studios
  • who are currently developing a video game or hybrid games (Phygital,  transmedia experience ,  gamified experience , immersive  installation , LBX, TTRPG hybridized with digital). The subjects must participate with a project team, which includes at least two of the following skills:
    • Programmer;
    • Game designer;
    • Art director / 3D o 2D generalist;
    • Producer.
  • The team must include at least 3 members.
  • Each applicant (team, startup, or studio) can submit only one proposal for a single type of product to be developed as part of their project.
  • The members indicated in the applications can be part of only one Informal Team or Startup or Development Studio.

What they Offer?

• Acceleration path
  • Lazio Innova offers admitted applicants a program aimed at defining and validating their product, including testing and meeting with publishers.
  • The program will last a maximum of 20 meetings on vertical topics, during which participants will be offered training and specialized, vertical mentorship sessions aimed at deepening their knowledge of key soft skills (useful for developing a business project) and technical skills (essential for developing the vertical slice of the game/playable prototype).
  • The sessions include both classroom sessions (lectio format) and individual mentorships; they will be held in person at the Spazio Attivo LOIC Zagarolo headquarters, or at other regional locations designated by Lazio Innova and communicated to participants.
• Access to the services of the regional FabLab and Active Space network
  • Throughout all phases of the program, participants will have free access to the following services of the regional FabLab network: – prototyping of co-designed solutions, subject to a technical feasibility assessment;
  • assessment of product engineering needs.
  • They will also be able to use the collaborative spaces of Spazio Attivo.
• A prize offered by Lazio Innova consisting of:
  • a cash grant of €40,000
  • access to a 12-month mentoring program , during which you will be able to benefit from specialized services worth €9,000.
• Rewards offered by Partners
  • The Program partners may award additional prizes to projects deemed sufficiently worthy, which will be defined based on the interests of each individual partner .
  • Each Partner will independently and autonomously evaluate only the proposals admitted to Phase 2 of training and mentorship to assign its own prizes. They also reserve the right not to award them if they find no projects sufficiently worthy of them.
  • The prizes made available by the Partners will be distributed according to the methods they communicate to the beneficiaries .
  • It is also specified that the prize awarded by Lazio Innova and those of the Partners will be cumulative , should their respective and independent evaluations converge.

For more information, visit Lazio Region.