The videogame accelerator campus, held for the last four years in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in its fifth edition becomes GAME.EUS, a firm commitment to the creation and retention of local talent and the promotion of this sector in the Basque Country. The new programme is the culmination of the four years of experience of the F2P Campus, now converted into an intensive five-week initiative, expanding the platforms and the business model to be developed among the participating teams and emphasising their Basque origin. With this new approach, the fifth edition of an already well-established campus begins, which from today until 16 June opens the period for the presentation of candidates, from which the five best proposals will be selected.
The initiative, promoted by the Provincial Government of Alava and the Basque Government under the direction of the EUNEIZ Foundation, and which has placed Alava and the Basque Country on the map of the videogame industry, redoubles its efforts with this new approach to turn this sector into a magnet for attracting talent and generating wealth in the Basque territory. The main objective of this programme is to prepare teams of developers from the Basque Country with a sufficiently advanced video game to take part in Gamescom, the largest and most important trade fair in the sector in Europe.
GAME.EUS stems from the need to support small teams of indie developers as a fundamental strategy to strengthen the videogame industry in the Basque Country. David Darnés, director of the programme, funded by the Provincial Government of Alava and the Department of Culture of the Basque Government, coordinated by BIC Araba and sponsored by the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council and EUNEIZ University, stresses that the priority is to create new industrial fabric through the professionalisation of small teams in order to obtain funding, promote their growth and generate employment. “The programme’s mission is to provide knowledge and resources to these micro-enterprises, which usually have only creative profiles, to improve their efficiency in terms of development and production, providing them with a business vision that allows them to maximise their business opportunities”, explains Darnés from the EUNEIZ Foundation.
The programme will include individual mentoring by national and international industry experts, mainly focused on business aspects, such as the elaboration of a Business Plan, the improvement of communication skills and the preparation of a good presentation. The campus will culminate with a Demo Day on 1 August, followed by the opportunity to showcase their work at Gamescom, where they will be able to make key contacts and explore new opportunities for collaboration and growth.
The Councillor for Economic Development and Innovation, Saray Zarate, stated that “this campus is an initiative that is part of the Provincial Government’s firm commitment to consolidating a future industry such as videogames in Alava; a sector that combines creativity, technology and innovation and which is a clear opportunity to generate economic activity, employment and talent in the Territory”.
GAME.EUS will take place, for the third consecutive year, at EUNEIZ University in Vitoria-Gasteiz between 1st July and 1st August. During the five weeks of the programme, the teams will receive training and personalised advice with the aim of professionalising the production process of the teams, instilling a business mentality, helping them to obtain funding and/or publishing and encouraging the legal incorporation of videogame studios in the Basque Country.
For further information, interested parties can consult www.game.eus.