The funding has been awarded to companies throughout the UK, including GLITCHERS, a Bafta-nominated studio renowned for creating video games that educate children about finance and aid scientists in combating dementia. Their grant will support the development of The Last Eden, a first-person game set in the Congo Basin's rainforests, where players, guided by real-world experts, can track wildlife.

Additionally, Triangular Pixels, another Bafta-nominated studio celebrated for its virtual reality technology, will employ its Content Fund grant to develop Unseen Diplomacy 2, a VR spy game that transforms players' living rooms into real-life assault courses.

As part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision launched last year, the government allocated an additional £5 million to the UK Games Fund (UKGF) to create a new Content Fund aimed at preparing UK games for the market. This has taken the total government investment in the UKGF from 2022 to 2025 to £13.4 million.

In 2023, the UK video game consumer market reached a value of £7.8 billion, more than doubling its worth since 2013. The UK has produced some of the world's best-selling video games, including Tomb Raider, the Grand Theft Auto series, Little Big Planet, and Lego: Star Wars.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer attended the London Games Festival’s Game Changer event at Carlton House Terrace in Central London on Wednesday, 17th March, where she met with Content Fund winners. She witnessed the innovative games their grants will help develop and discussed how the funds will enable them to expand their businesses.

This multi-million pound support for homegrown video game developers means that small, independent game developers have more chances in the sector. As an industry dominated by big names, this grant funding can help smaller developers forge their paths in the industry.

This can also enable startups, like Immersely, who Startups Magazine interviewed on The Cereal Entrepreneur podcast, to work with more local game studios to integrate its technology.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Video games are a vital part of this government’s plans to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030. That’s why we are supporting talented new developers to maximise their potential and turn their ideas into the next best-selling, Bafta-winning titles.

“This funding will help them to secure investment and resources to scale up their businesses and create new jobs. Congratulations to all the recipients.”

The Content Fund provides UK games studios with grants of £50,000 to £150,000 to support the development of intellectual property, allowing them to attract more investment. Investing in video games at this crucial development stage will help UK studios grow their businesses and create more jobs, and in turn grow the economy, which is one of the Government’s five key priorities.

Maxwell Scott-Slade, Director of Games, GLITCHERS: “Earning recognition from the UK Games Fund for The Last Eden is a tremendous honour. This award empowers us to expand beyond dementia awareness (with projects like Sea Hero Quest) and delve into the captivating world of biodiversity. The Content Fund’s support allows us to make three crucial hires, which will significantly strengthen our position when negotiating with key partners.”

Katie Goode, Creative Director, Triangular Pixels: “We’re immensely grateful for the incredible support that has allowed Unseen Diplomacy 2 to become a reality. As a British studio, it’s particularly exciting to see the continued investment in our homegrown games industry. This funding fuels our passion to bring this innovative VR spy experience to life, and we can’t wait to share more updates as development progresses.”

Paul Durrant OBE, CEO and Founder, UK Games Talent and Finance CIC, said: “This growth-focussed funding has given us the opportunity to support companies further on in the journey than we’ve done before. Our focus on larger-scale grants, linked to unlocking additional leverage, adds a significant layer to the UK’s early-stage games development ecosystem. The grants will accelerate these studios towards success more rapidly than otherwise possible.”

Since 2015 the UKGF has invested over £12 million to help more than 450 developers and studios create their own video games. Previously funded companies include Coatsink, Futurlab and Roll7, whose title Rollerdrome won the Bafta for Best British Game last year.

Alongside the Content Fund, UKGF continues to award grants of up to £30,000 to upcoming video game developers and early-stage studios to help them turn their drawing board ideas into working prototype games and showcase these to investors. UKGF also supports graduate talent development through its DunDev and Tranzfuser programmes.

UK video game companies are still able to apply for grants from the remaining portion of the £5 million Content Fund.