Digital Games & Immersive Content – Vertical Slice

Funding is provided for the development of a vertical slice for digital games and immersive content. The funding supports an independent development phase prior to potential future production.

Eligible applicants are companies and self-employed individuals who develop and produce digital games or immersive content and have a registered office, place of business, or branch in North Rhine-Westphalia. An application may also be submitted if it can be demonstrated that such a location will exist no later than the date of payment of the first installment.

Funding is provided as a grant and generally covers up to 50% of eligible development expenses. In justified exceptional cases, funding of up to 80% is possible. The maximum grant amount is 200,000 euros per project.

An increased grant of up to 80% may be considered, particularly for projects involving a high degree of technical, design, or gameplay innovation; for educationally valuable games for children and adolescents; for serious games; or for projects involving a particularly high market risk. The award committee decides whether a justified exceptional case exists.

An appropriate contribution from the applicant is required for financing. The applicant’s own funds must amount to at least 10% of the eligible development costs.

The project must meet the requirements of the criteria catalog in the funding guidelines. It must satisfy at least two criteria from the “Cultural Content” category, two criteria from the “Cultural/Creative Platform” category, and at least one criterion from the “Design, Creative, and Technological Innovation” category.

In principle, this funding may be combined with funds from other funding programs. However, the maximum limits for the cumulation of government funding applicable under German and European law must be observed.

A mandatory consultation with the responsible program officer is required before submitting an application. The appointment must be scheduled in a timely manner and at least one week before the respective submission deadline. Access to the application form on the online portal will only be activated after the consultation has taken place.

The application must be submitted in full and on time by the respective submission deadline. Applications are submitted via the online tool provided by the Film and Media Foundation or, upon consultation, using the designated forms.

Funding requires an existing or plausibly planned company location, a business facility, or a branch office in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Work on the proposed project component must not have begun at the time the application is submitted.

Costs that have already been accounted for as part of the funded vertical-slice development may not be claimed again in the budget calculation for subsequent production funding.

Receiving funding for a vertical slice does not create a legal entitlement to subsequent production funding or any other form of further funding.