Berlin strengthens games industry with an additional €1 million

The Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises is providing the New Media division of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH with an additional €1 million for the funding of games and immersive media.

The additional funding is intended to further accelerate the dynamic development of the sector and respond to the growing demand for funding from developers and event organisers. For some time, the amount of funding requested has significantly exceeded the resources available to Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg for games funding.

The additional funds will therefore be used in particular to support further games development projects. They underline the State of Berlin’s commitment to strengthening the games and immersive media industries as an important economic sector and to reinforcing Berlin’s position as a leading location for innovative media.

One notable success can already be seen this year: the “Press Start” incubator, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), has resulted in the creation of 16 new emerging indie studios in Berlin. The additional funding is intended to give many of these young companies, as well as indie studios already established in the city, a greater opportunity to receive support.

In addition to funding development projects, the resources will also be used to strengthen Berlin as an event location. The aim is to further develop and expand existing events. This is in line with the Senate’s objective of supporting the establishment of a flagship games event in Berlin.

“For Berlin, we are focusing on future-oriented industries that create jobs. The games industry is one of them, already employing around 3,300 people in Berlin today. We can confidently say that we are Germany’s Games Capital. This is particularly evident this year in the large number of German Computer Game Awards won by Berlin studios and in the new indie studios founded through the ‘Press Start’ incubator.

The additional funding will go where it can have the greatest impact: supporting developers and strengthening flagship events. With our House of Games, which will open soon, we are also demonstrating just how important the games industry is to Berlin.”

“The success story of Berlin’s games industry shows what targeted support can achieve: development ideas lead to new companies, jobs, investment and international visibility. Since this year, our Senate Department has taken the lead on funding games and innovative content, and we are very pleased that we can now increase the available funding by one million euros.”

“‘Small teams, big successes’ is one of the current trends at gamescom – and it fits our region very well. Indie games are enjoying success around the world, and especially here in Berlin-Brandenburg. With additional funding, we can send a strong positive signal, particularly to emerging talent and the indie scene, while also strengthening flagship events in the capital region.”

Published 27 August 2026