IGEA Investment Resource

Finding funding is one of the biggest challenges when starting out. There are many ways to finance a studio – or a game – all with their own advantages and challenges. This resource aims to provide an overview of what types of funding there are and what type of projects they suit. This document is intended for Australian audiences but also references sources from the US and Europe.

The document includes the following information:

• What funding is appropriate at what stage of your project
• A spreadsheet where you can use the filter function to select
  • a) what stage your project is at,
  • b) what platform you’re developing for,
  • c) your business model, and how that translates into the types of funding you’ll be able to access
• A flowchart for you to check what kind of funding matches your goals. (Please note: if the chart is too pixelated to read, please download the spreadsheet, the image will be of much better quality.)
• A glossary of commonly used terms
• Info on
  • 1.) User Acquisition Funding
  • 2.) VC funding
  • 3.) Business angels
  • 4.) Crowdfunding,
  • 5.) Government funding,
  • 6.) Publishers
  • 7.) Other sources of funding
  • 8.) Sources for the information included and further readings

Access the resource here: IGEA Investment Resource

Please note: IGEA does not guarantee, and accept any legal liability, for the accuracy, reliability, currency, or completeness of any of the materials provided. While these materials have been obtained via reliable sources, every business is different, and we recommend you seek appropriate independent professional advice to make sure they suit your specific needs.

We will also accompany the release of this resource via two webinars to explore some of the concepts covered in more depth:

Webinar 1: VC Funding in Digital Games

In this webinar, we are joined by Michael Cheung from Makers Fund, Scott Reismanis from mod.io, and Tima Anoshechkin from Alta to discuss what VC funding actually is, what expectations come with it, and how it has helped two Australian studios to expand their business.

Makers Fund is one of the world’s largest games-focused VCs with investments ranging from seed to B+ rounds. mod.io is a modding platform that celebrated 300 million downloads in January – and recently managed to attract US$26 million of series A funding. Meanwhile, Alta is the company behind successful virtual reality role-playing game A Township Tale, which spent seven weeks at number one on the Oculus/Meta charts. At the beginning of the year, it banked $17.3 million from Makers Fund and Andreessen Horowitz.

A recording of the webinar can be accessed below:

Webinar 2: Equity Investment and Acquisition in Digital Games

They want part of my company? Over my dead body! Not so fast, this can actually be a good thing! In this webinar, we will be exploring equity investment and acquisitions of studios with Tomas Rossel from Spawn Ventures and Daniel Visser from Wicked Witch Studios.

Tomas is a highly experienced corporate financier who has worked on media and tech M&A and fundraising around the globe for over 15 years. He funded Spawn Ventures in 2019 to identify gaming and esports entrepreneurs, invest early and join them on a value-creating journey. Daniel is the Managing Director at Wicked Witch, a studio with a 20+ year history dating all the way back to the Game Boy Colour. Wicked Witch was fully acquired by Keyword Studios in 2022.

A recording of the webinar can be accessed below: