Sophie Blake
Google is stepping up its support for the indie gaming community in Latin America with the introduction of a $2 million Indie Games Fund, designed to help small studios expand their presence on Google Play. The initiative offers selected game developers financial support and hands-on assistance without requiring them to give up equity.
Started on August 14th, 2024, eligible studios can apply for the fund, with the application window closing on September 13th, 2024. However, developers are encouraged to submit their applications early, as those received by August 30th will receive priority consideration.
To qualify for the fund, companies must be registered in one of the 33 eligible countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and more. The fund specifically targets small indie game developers with no more than 50 employees. Developers whose games are published by third-party publishers may face additional requirements.
Google is seeking indie games with high growth potential that are either already available on Google Play or on other platforms such as PC or console. The goal is to help these games transition or expand onto Google Play, including making them available on Google Play Pass, where users pay a subscription fee for access to a range of premium games.
Selected studios are expected to use the entirety of the awarded funds to further develop and grow their games on Google Play. This includes porting games to Android if they are currently available on other platforms and integrating them into the Google Play ecosystem. As part of the application process, developers will need to outline their growth plans and demonstrate how the funding will be used to achieve these goals.
Google plans to select approximately 10 studios for this initiative, with each studio receiving between $150,000 and $200,000. It’s important to note that the selected studios will be responsible for covering any applicable taxes on the awarded funds.
While the fund is open to games with any business model, all selected games must be compatible with Google Play Pass, requiring developers to adapt their game design if necessary to fit within this subscription-based model.
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