Baltic Sea Game Incubation – Piloting Network Activities to Foster Game Incubation in the BSR

BSGI

PROGRAMME 2014-2020

priority

1 Innovation

objective

1.3 Non-technological innovation

BSGI

The project BSGI equipped game incubators and business developers with tools that allow them to be better prepared in a fast growing and constantly developing industry.

The challenge

Game industry needs a well-balanced approach

Games are one of the most dynamic creative industries worldwide but business support often remains unspecific. One of the challenges this sector faces is that innovation intermediaries have only limited knowledge about this creative sector and how game start-ups should be supported. Innovation intermediaries usually treat them as ICT or as media, which on one hand limits the attractiveness of the supporting programmes for the game start-ups, and on the other hand, limits the effectiveness of the support.

The game industry needs a well-balanced ecosystem, a growing market, and an accommodating environment to thrive. On one side, there are the mature industries of the Nordics with their deep insights into the mechanisms of the industry. On the other side, emerging industries from the Baltics come with brand new products, followed by Germany, Denmark, and Poland whose industries have their own characteristics.

Budgets

BSGI
in numbers

0.75

Million

Total
0.58

Million

Erdf
0.00

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Achievements

Expertise and networks

The project BSGI launched the concept of a distinct ecosystem composed of experts supporting young game developer talents and enterprises, often using formats such as incubation or acceleration. These experts not only transferred their know-how but also contributed with valuable contacts and other forms of support within this “game incubation system”. The outreach to investors, publishers or mentors was highly valued among young entrepreneurs participating. For experts, a thorough understanding of the needs and building trust was of interest and helped to establish win-win relationships.

Targeted measures

The project piloted competence-building activities and targeted two main stakeholder groups in the ecosystem: professional supporters (investors, publishers, mentors) and business developers (incubators, accelerators, hubs, clusters). The project engaged the first group to test peer-2-peer learning environments. The second group was involved as organiser and provider of support to programmers, experimenting joint activities to enhance their “business offer” to young teams. The results of the capacity enhancement measures have formed the content of the incubation roadmap as a fundamental building block for a coherent and endorsed body of knowledge on game incubation.

Outputs

White paper on competence building for mentors and investors

The paper documents a path from a concept to piloting competence building activities for game industry investors and mentors. It includes the data from surveys with mentors and investors. The document provides design and recommendations for workshops, based on the surveys, piloting, feedback of the involved target groups and lessons learnt.

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White paper on transnational incubation activities

The document outlines the project pilot activities, namely webinars, themed workshops and the “autumn academy.” It summarises the conceptual approaches, design considerations and lessons learned from piloting different event formats of transnational incubation.

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Enhanced Baltic Sea Game Incubation Roadmap

The publication outlines the rationale behind the enhanced roadmap. The roadmap allows game developer support organisations to benefit from the available knowledge base, establish new contacts, and stay updated by engaging in collaboration with the ecosystem stakeholders (e.g. the community, other incubators, or investors/publishers). The roadmap is useful for emerging game incubators as well as tech parks that are using IT incubation but want to develop game incubation and business development support.

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