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Nordic Game Program calls for funding and partnership help

Organisers crowd-source solutions for holes left in budget by reduced govt funding

Erik Robertson, head of the Nordic Game Program, has called for suggestions for funding and partnerships to help ensure its future, including the Nordic Game conference itself.

Speaking in the opening ceremony for the event this morning, Robertson appealed to the crowd for ideas to help fill the gap left by a decrease in government funding, which has dropped from DKK 11.3 million ($2.1m / £1.3m) this year, to DKK 9 million in 2012, DKK 6.5 million in 2013 and 2014, and just DKK 4 million in 2015.

That reduction in funding was not unexpected. In fact, the original commitment to investment from the five countries involved was only for five years, ending this year. That the funding has continued to be available at all, Robertson says, is a positive result.

However, with the costs of the program currently running at 6.6 million DKK for the developer support system, DKK 1 million for export and outreach programs, DKK 0.5 million for the conference and DKK 4 million in costs for other areas, including education, those cuts leave serious holes in the program's budget.

What Robertson and the program's other organisers hope is that by crowd-sourcing ideas, and potential funding itself, the program can continue.

As an incentive, people offering successfully adopted ideas are being offered lifetime free passes for the conference, as well as a potential 1000 euro prize. Robertson also made the request for applications for partnerships in the program.

Anyone interested in becoming an industry partner should apply via partner@nordicgame.com, whilst ideas for funding should be sent to industry@nordicgameprogram.org.

Return on the current program's investment has resulted in 75 games reaching at least a prototype stage, with one third of those titles currently published or in the publishing process.

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