In association with Microsoft
Calling all start-ups
With so much support available to start-ups from Microsoft in the UK, which is the right one for you? And how has it helped other small teams?
As a result of a great deal of effort Microsoft has helped increasing numbers of start-up studios in recent months.
It has done so through a wealth of support that is presently available to assist games developers in building their companies, funding their ideas, making and publishing their games, and reaching the ever-expanding audience that today uses Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 for entertainment.
Indies, young teams, students and old hands that have returned to their forms of support available, it can all be a little intimidating. Which is available to your team, which gives you what you need to make your dream game, and how can you harness the potential of more than one Microsoft initiative?
Fortunately, the answers to those and many related questions are straightforward, and Microsoft is here to make clear how it can help your build better games, and a better business.
At the core of the offering from the team that can take your games to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are the BizSpark and DreamSpark offerings, which both give you free access to a range of development tools and tech that can be used to publish your games on Microsoft platforms and beyond. DreamSpark is best suited to students and the most youthful need a little help establishing a technology base.
Elsewhere the AppCampus mobile application accelerator programme presents an €18 million joint investment between Microsoft and Nokia to foster mobile application development on Windows Phone. Created in conjunction with Aalto University in the development hub that is Espoo, Finland, the initiative provides successful applicants with awards varying from €20,000 to €70,000.
Meanwhile the UK version of the global Microsoft Ventures Accelerator provides a 12-week programme of training and mentoring to help not just with games design, but to better your team’s standing as a company, calling on experienced mentors and business experts.
Delivered in tandem with Microsoft and Creative England, a national company that invests in and supports the creative industries, Greenshoots is providing 10 teams working on their new games with up to £25,000 each in match funding.
Most importantly, if you’re a start-up and can meet a few simple criteria, there’s almost certainly a Microsoft initiative above that will be suited to your team. And better still, you can quite possibly make use of more than one.
Over the following pages, you’ll meet some of the teams signed up to those programmes, see how it has thrust their studios towards a successful change your studio’s standing in the global development community.
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