Frequently Asked Questions

The UK Games Fund was established with the remit to support the UK’s early-stage game development and digital interactive business and creative ecosystem. Since launching in 2015, we have supported a funded portfolio of over 200 interactive digital projects from independent game development studios based across the UK.

When assessing applications for funding, we are looking for those that come from talented UK-based teams with demonstrable ambition to grow to be a sustainable commercial business. The project will be creative and have commercial potential, with a clearly identified route to market backed up by research to prove any claims made about revenue projections.

If you’ve been funded by us before, the impact of the previous grant awarded will be taken into account. You should be able to explain how another grant is going to make a real difference. Our goal is support self-sustaining businesses so it’s good to think about the journey that you’re on, and where we fit into that. If it didn’t work out last time, then we want to know what you plan to do differently – a “more of the same” type of pitch may not be enough.

We don’t fund continuation projects, so a straightforward submission for more money for the same project will be rejected.

Previous calls for applications to the UK Games Fund may have had round-specific criteria, so we would advise that applicants revisit our Q&A with UK Games Fund CEO, Paul Durrant, before considering submitting a previous proposal. However, should your project be suitable and your team meets the criteria for eligibility, we would encourage you to consider submitting a revised application. It may well be for the same project, but do bear in mind that this is a new round of applications and so revision and updating of any information shared with us would be advisable.

There’s a max number of applications that we will accept in our system at any one time. If this is exceeded, we will close the round for applications. If you miss the window of application, don’t worry as we hope to open another round of funding very soon.

In order to make each application round manageable – which in turn allows us to process everything in a timely manner.

If you are slow to apply and applications close early as above then you will get a chance to apply to a future funding round before the end of our financial year. If you’ve completed a substantial amount of your form and saved it but not submitted it before an early round closure, then we’ll allow you to complete it.

If selected for grant support, funded project work can begin from September 2023 upon contractual agreement. Development can, of course, be ongoing before then, but any grant funds to be claimed can only be covered by the timescales as set out in our contract with you.

As part of the UK Games Fund portfolio of funded companies, you will join the more than 220 indie studios based around the UK that form the UKGF community of indie developers.

Funded companies will be fully informed as to how the claims process works in due course. Please refer to the How to Apply page for more information.

As stated on the How to Apply page, the only costs that can be claimed from the UK Games Fund grant will be staff costs for UK-based employees or contractors. You must cover any costs for non UK-based staff.

As the UK Games Fund is supported by UK Government, our remit is support innovation within the UK’s independent game development sector as well as provide assistance in the growth of sustainable businesses based in the UK.

Please refer to the How to Apply page for further information.

All required information is clearly labelled in the written application and we advise applicants to carefully read through any support guidance as provided.

Application guidance is available in a recorded and downloadable format. Please refer to the How to Apply page for more information.

Please be aware that we cannot comment on the content of your pitch and are not able to give detailed feedback on your potential application as we focus our efforts on supporting the application process for all interested parties. Any queries that are sent to us of this sort may not receive a response.

If you have a specific question that is not covered by the information as provided either here or on the How to Apply page, please email us help@ukgamesfund.com. This inbox will be monitored during office hours and we ask for your patience as we work through any queries.