• 75 new games studios, with a 100 per cent success rate, demonstrate the added value of start-up support tailored to the games industry.
  • 40 new games available to play on site, new trailer released.
  • Bernd Gallep, Head of the Innovation and Creative Industries Division at BKM: “With the founding grant, we have strengthened Germany’s position as a games hub in the long term.”

Berlin, 9 June 2026: Over 240 workshops, more than 1,900 hours of mentoring, joint appearances at seven industry events and 75 new games studios with a 100% founding rate: after a year and a half, the conclusion of the “Press Start: Games Founding Grant” was officially celebrated in Berlin on Monday. The closing event, organised for the 132 scholarship recipients and other guests from politics and the industry, was opened by Bernd Gallep, Head of the Department for Innovation and Creative Industries at the Minister of State for Culture and the Media (BKM), Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, and Nandita Wegehaupt, Managing Director of the Foundation for Digital Games Culture.

Bernd Gallep, Head of the ‘Innovation and Creative Industries’ department at the Minister of State for Culture and the Media, highlights the successful implementation of the grant programme: ‘We have now completed 18 months comprising 240 workshops and almost 2,000 hours of mentoring, in collaboration with more than 60 experts from Germany, Canada, the UK, France and Sweden. The result: a 100 per cent founding rate, first awards and a strong network of all participants – clear evidence of the founding grant’s success. With a total of 8.5 million euros in funding from the BKM, the artistic and entrepreneurial visions of young gaming talents have become a reality. “Through the start-up grant, we have specifically advanced the development of the German games industry and sustainably strengthened Germany as a games hub.”

For Felix Falk, the grant has international appeal: “The success of ‘Press Start’ demonstrates that there is plenty of talent in Germany for innovative games and new studio start-ups, provided the right conditions are in place. The Games Founding Grant has thus become a key component of a sustainable national funding strategy, whilst also serving as an initiative to raise the global profile of games made in Germany. As other non-specific start-up programmes largely fail to address the needs of the next generation of game developers, we very much hope that the federal government recognises the programme’s great success and potential and enables it to continue. We need more start-ups in Germany, especially ones as creative, innovative and successful as those emerging from this programme.”

Nandita Wegehaupt emphasises the importance of the content-related aspect of the grant programme: “It was clear to us from the outset that ‘Press Start’ had brought together a group of people with a wealth of creative potential. However, as a founder in the games sector, you have to balance the role of creator or artist with the business side of game development and setting up a studio – and that isn’t always easy. That’s why, with our education and networking programme, we’ve created a structure that provides the best possible support to all our grant recipients on their start-up journey. The fact that this approach has been a complete success is also thanks to the strong support from the industry and my dedicated team.”

In addition to an inspiring keynote by founder Jörg Friedrich (Paintbucket Games), a panel featuring the coaches and mentors Christian Fonnesbech (Leverage Partnership), René Habermann (Bippinbits), Ulrike Küchler (Gamebook Studio) and Timo Maier (Agile Strategies) looked back on the time spent together. There was also the opportunity on site to try out 40 of the games created as part of the grant programme.

Anyone wishing to see more of the games created will have the chance to do so online on 11 June: from 6 pm, Dennsen86, PixelViet and InternetShawna will be playing a selection of “Press Start” games together on Twitch. Recordings of further Twitch streams featuring games from the scholarship programme are available from Baso, Tinkerleo, KaddiTV, LPGJustJohnny and Minuself.