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Berlin / Potsdam - The MBB is keeping its fingers crossed for all developers nominated for the 2022 German Computer Game Prize and is pleased with the results in the area of new media funding. 

2021 NEW MEDIA FUNDING AT A GLANCE

• Record amount: EUR 5.6 million in MBB funding
• EUR 15.9 million spent in the region (an increase by EUR 5 million in the past 3 years)
• 20% increase of application volume; EUR 1 million more than in the preceding year  
• 46 games, multi-platform, virtual, and augmented reality projects funded with EUR 3.7 million
• 29 serial formats in development and production, funded with EUR 1.9 million
• Virtual production on the rise: New media funding benefits from the special programme Digital Film Production in Brandenburg

Helge Jürgens, CEO New Media Funding, Medienboard:
“Games are the fastest growing area of the creative industries. In addition, they also have artistic success and are an important formative factor in the digital transformation. The funding of Innovative Audio-Visual Content encourages the use of new production technologies. Virtual Production is burgeoning and allowing for a new digital storytelling for series as well.”

6 nominations at the #DERDCP for the Berlin-Brandenburg region

The MBB-funded game “Kraken Academy!!” by Happy Broccoli Games has been nominated for the German Computer Game Prize (DCP) 2022 in the “Best Game Design” category. 2 of the nominated “Players of the Year” are from this region: Maximilian Knabe (“HandOfBlood”) and Matthias Remmert (“Knochen” (‘Bone’)). In addition, “Paintbucket Games” and “Wooga” from Berlin are in the competition as “Studio of the Year” out of 3 nominees in this category! We are congratulating all nominees & keep our fingers crossed for the Berlin Association of Kids and Youth Film for their serious game EZRA. This year’s DCP is endowed with prize money totalling EUR 800,000. The award ceremony will take place on March 31^st in Munich and can be followed in a live stream. 

2021 Games Highlights

In 2021, there are 4 awards each for MBB-funded games at the German Computer Games Awards and the German Developer Awards. “Dorfromantik” (‘Village Romanticism’), the debut work of Toukana Interactive, wins two awards at the German Computer Games Awards, the “Newcomer Award – Best Debut” as well as “Best Game Design”, and is voted “Best German Game” at the German Developer Awards.

The Afro-fantasy game “The Wagadu Chronicles” by Twin Drums, funded in 2021, is scheduled for release in 2022. The hybrid game consisting of an MMO, and a pen-and-paper role-playing game is focusing on diversity and LGBTQIA+ issues. In the past year, MBB funded a game with EUR 300,000 for the first time: “Ocean” by Jo-Mei Games is a follow-up project to the award-winning “Sea of Solitude”.

=> 2021 funded innovative audio-visual content (incl. games) at a glance

VR 2021

Venice VR Expanded, Sundance VR, Tribeca Immersive: In 2021, MBB-funded VR projects will present themselves from New York to Venice: “Le Bal de Paris di Blanca Li”, a co-production of Actrio Studio, Potsdam, wins “Best VR Experience” in the Venice VR Expanded category, “Kusunda” and “Bystanding” celebrate world premières at Tribeca Immersive (Tribeca Film Festival), “Myriad” presents itself at VR Days Europe and Raindance Immersive in London, and the German-Canadian co-production “Chomsky vs Chomsky” at Sundance VR.
 
In 2021-2022, Berlin-Brandenburg is making a total of EUR 13 million available as part of the Digital Film Production special programme, which is administered by the MBB in addition to traditional funding. The innovative VR experience “Ernst Grube – The Legacy”, which uses the volumetric capturing technology of the Volucap, receives funding from the special programme in 2021.

=> 2021 funded innovative audio-visual content (incl. VR projects) at a glance

Innovative storytelling: 2021 funding of serial formats

The success of the funding of serial formats is also reflected in nominations and awards for MBB-funded projects: The True Crime docu-series “Höllental” (‘Hell’s Valley’) is the winner of the 2021 German Television Award in the category Best Camera Information/Documentary and “Viral Dreams” is the winner of the 2021 TV Series Festival for Best Docu-Series. The German-Algerian “Lamia” is in search of her own identity in the eponymous dramedy series. Her life takes place in the field of tension between a metropolitan-modern and Algerian-Muslim world in the midst of Berlin.

In addition to the funding of series projects, the MBB also is funding series producers with specific initiatives for newcomers and networking. The matchmaking event “Berlin Producers to Meet”, initiated by the MBB for Berlin-Brandenburg producers and domestic broadcasters, is particularly successful. Jointly with its broadcasting partners RTLZWEI, Mediengruppe RTL and Seven.One Entertainment Group, MBB is committed to funding young talent and new series ideas from the region of the German capital. 

=> 2021 funded serial formats at a glance