Video Games Business Development

Who can apply

Applicants must meet the following requirements to apply:

1. Be a for-profit company incorporated in British Columbia or Canada with its head office in British

Columbia. (Note: Companies extra-provincially registered in B.C. are not eligible.)

1. Be Canadian-owned as defined in the Investment Canada Act and Canadian-controlled as

determined for the purposes of Sections 26 to 28 of the Investment Canada Act.

1. The majority of the common interest voting shares of the company must be held by B.C.

residents, defined as either a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident who has resided in B.C. for at least 200 of the 365 days prior to application and have filed income tax returns in B.C. for the taxation year prior to the application.

1. The primary business is the creation of video games for digital game platforms, including (but

not limited to) PC, mobile, consoles, and VR. The majority of output should be content owned and controlled or optioned by the applicant.

1. Applicants and any related or associated parties must be in good standing with Creative BC and

the CMF.

Funding Eligibility

Applicants must show they have the experience, qualifications, and resources to successfully implement their proposed plan for the funding.

Accordingly, the program is for either:

Mid-level and experienced companies, or New company startups having at least one owner with the required background, according to these criteria:

1. Mid-level and experienced video game companies, defined as having:
2. published two (2) previous owned and controlled commercial titles made available for

purchase or download through various retail platforms (not including prototype/demos, game jams, DLCs/expansion packs, or work for hire); AND

1. $500,000 average annual business expenditures, confirmed by certified financial records;

OR

1. New company startups with one or more owners who previously held ownership positions at

mid-level or experienced video game companies that meet the above criteria. Ownership is defined as not merely having an equity stake, but also an executive leadership role in the company with creative, finance and business decision making authority.

Funding is intended for companies whose primary business is developing video games. Companies whose primary business has been other forms of interactive or digital media such as websites, mobile applications, interactive/immersive projects, and software applications that are not readily and easily identifiable as games and do not meet the criteria above will not be eligible.

Interested companies can be producing any number of titles, at various stages.

Applicants are limited to a single submission per company for each annual intake round. An owner may have an ownership interest in multiple applicant companies; however, only one associated company may be selected for funding. Ownership, for the purposes of this section, means the ability to exercise, directly or indirectly, control, joint control, or significant influence over a company, and does not include nominal ownership interests that do not confer such influence or control.

Successful recipients of the previous 2024 and 2025 rounds are ineligible for this year’s intake round.