Nordic Game Program Sees Record Number Of Funding Applications

The Nordic Game Program (NGP) announced today that it received a record-breaking 136 applications for the second round of the program's development funding competition. The program, which currently distributes grants of 6 million Danish kroner to 12 winning entries across two rounds of annual funding, received a record of 228 applications in 2010, representing over 60 million kroner in funding requests. “This staggering figure, about four times what we planned for, proves that the Nordic games industry is still very much expanding, but also that it is impossible for the funding scheme to meet the constantly growing demand," Nordic Game Program head Erik Robertson said in a statement. Following a then-record 170 applicants for the program in 2009, the flood of new interest from developers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden comes in the wake of recent critical and commercial success for Limbo. Danish developer Playdead received NGP funding while working on the game in 2007 and 2008. PlayDead producer Mads Wibroe said in a statement that NGP support was crucial in developing the prototype for Limbo, and that much more of this kind of support is necessary for the region's game industry. The independent game development community in the Nordic region has fallen on tough times recently, with layoffs at Swedish Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios, bankruptcy for Danish Watchmen: the End Is Nigh developer Deadline Games and closure for high-profile Swedish developer GRIN. Started in 2006 by a collaboration of the five Nordic ministers of culture, the Nordic Game Program is currently set to run through 2012. A panel of experts will decide on six recipients for 3 million kroner in the second round of funding by November 4, before announcing the results to the world in a December ceremony.