Six games development companies receive positive boost from Games Scale Up Fund for Wales
Video games are big business. UK consumers spent £7.6bn on video games in 2024 alone, while the games sector contributes some £6bn in gross value added (GVA) to the economy each year and supports 73,000 jobs. Now games companies have received a huge boost – or, in gamer speak, ‘buff’ – from a new government scheme.
Jack Sergeant MS, Minister for Culture, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March, photo courtesy of Welsh government
The Games Scale Up Fund for Wales was launched earlier this year help developers in the region take their new games projects from pilot to a more substantial and self-sustaining model, through growth in scope, reach and impact. The scheme was launched by Creative Wales, working in partnership with the UK Games Fund – who have managed the applications process.
Six successful applicant companies will now receive £850,000: Cloth Cat, COPA Gaming, Goldborough Studios, Rocket Science, Sugar Creative and Wales Interactive.
In March this year, five of these six companies joined the Cymru Wales stand at the Games Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco to showcase their projects, meet major industry leaders and build new connections.
The Games Development Fund is open for applications until Thursday (June 5), offering grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 to Wales-based businesses developing video and immersive games projects for commercial release.
Osian Williams, Director of COPA Gaming, says: ‘Being backed by the Welsh Government through this scale-up funding isn’t just a headline for us, it’s a true game changer. It gives our team the confidence and resources to move forward, grow sustainably and to proudly create uniquely Welsh games for a global audience.’
Paul Durrant, CEO at UK Games Fund, adds: ‘The Games Scale Up Fund for Wales has been a fabulous opportunity for us to see the breadth and depth of games development talent in Wales. It’s been an honour to manage the application process for Creative Wales.’
Jack Sergeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnerships, says: ‘Wales has an incredibly talented and ambitious video games industry that’s making its mark on the global stage. This investment is about giving our homegrown studios the financial backing to level up their operations and reach new audiences worldwide. I had the privilege of meeting several Welsh developers at GDC in San Francisco, and I was deeply impressed by their creativity and innovation. The feedback they received from international publishers confirms what we already know – Wales is becoming a significant player in the global gaming landscape.’
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