GamesLab opens regional funds for devs in South West and West Midlands

Creative England GamesLab has opened two regional funds to support the growth of studios in the South West and the West Midlands.

£150k is available to companies in the West Midlands, who can apply for between £20k and £50k to grow their business.

Developers in the South West meanwhile can claim back 50 per cent of their hardware, software or consultancy costs incurred during game development. The total cost of qualifying expenditure must be between £2k and £10k.

The news comes shortly after Creative England received a further £8m from the Regional Growth Fund, enabling it to invest in more areas in the UK. The organisation’s head of games and digital Jaspal Sohal said he expected this will result in more investment in the North, East Midlands, the South and the South East.

“The £8m we’ve recently received from the Regional Growth Fund is fantastic news not only for us but for games companies all over the English regions," said Sohal.

"Later this year we’ll be able to open up funds to the North, the East Midlands, the South and the South East – something we know has been in demand since GamesLab’s inception.

“For now the two programmes we’re now able to offer up to the West Midlands and South West are great opportunities to companies based in those regions, and are an accessible financial boost for up-and-coming studios.”

You can find more information on the West Midlands fund here, and further details on the South West fund here.