Ardán launches development fund for Irish indie studios

Entertainment company Ardán has teamed with IMIRT to create a new pilot program specifically for independent developers based in Ireland.

Dubbed IndieDev 2024, the program will support studios situated in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Successful teams get support of up to €15,000 (or £15,000, for those in Northern Ireland) to build a prototype of their project.

Those seven studios will also go through two weeks of workshops and talks from industry professionals, followed by 10-12 of development toward the prototype.

The fund does for Irish developers what similar ones in Australia and Brazil do for creators in those countries. Per RTE, Ireland's development scene is "growing considerably" with each year, and funding smaller studios will help it grow further.

Developers will be required to prove they've been living on the island of Ireland territory for "some time" and plan to stay there for the foreseeable future. It's primarily for teams of up to five people, but individuals are also allowed to apply.

"The Irish games market is expanding," wrote CEO Alan Duggan, "but key to the success of the sector is strategic support for grassroots indie game developers as they level up."

Andrew Reid, CCO of Northern Ireland Screen, added the fund "will not only showcase the vibrant talent across the island of Ireland, but also emphasizes the power of collaboration across borders."

Interested parties can apply now, and the forms will be open until May 31 at noon.