A discussion and discussion panel on the state of the art, opportunities, and prospects of the video game industry in Italy will be held on Thursday, November 7th at the Biagi Auditorium in Salaborsa (Piazza del Nettuno, 3 – Bologna). A multi-voice comparison of the Italian video game industry and its growth prospects, with a specific focus on the opportunities offered by Creative Europe’s MEDIA call specifically for video games.
In the afternoon from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, thanks to the presence of the Creative Europe MEDIA Office in Turin, it will be possible to access the Info Desk to get an initial orientation on the Creative Europe call for proposals “Video games and immersive content development”, open from 1° October 2024 to 12 February 2025. To schedule an appointment, write to torino@europacreativa-media.it, specifying the name of the firm, the reason for the request and any time requirements.
The event is also an opportunity to announce the winners of the fourth edition of Bologna Game Farm, open to studios across Italy for the first time, in collaboration with the Casa delle tecnologie Emergenti (CTE COBO) of Bologna, a project by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City, implemented thanks to the contribution of MIMIT with a broad network of partners. The call for proposals awards non-repayable grants in the form of expense reimbursements to businesses and freelancers for the development of business-to-consumer (B2C) video games worth two hundred thousand euros.
In addition to the contribution, the winners will be supported through an acceleration course built in collaboration with IIDEA, the trade association of the video game industry in Italy. The Bologna Game Farm accelerator is located in the ART-ER greenhouses in the Margherita Gardens of Bologna, a charming and functional space dedicated to innovative startups and regional ecosystem hubs supporting business creation.
Bologna Game Farm is the accelerator for the video game sector promoted by the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Municipality of Bologna, an initiative coordinated by the Municipality of Bologna and implemented with ART-ER as part of the support actions for the cultural and creative industries, in collaboration with IncrediBOL! and with the technical support of IIDEA, the Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association. A growing project: the first three editions have successfully selected and accelerated twelve development teams composed of businesses and freelancers from Emilia Romagna; three of them have already signed a publishing agreement, and the others are continuing their self-publishing development.
Bologna Game Farm has also provided the impetus for the creation and consolidation of a regional ecosystem to support the gaming sector: the creation of two-year ITS courses specifically to train gaming professionals, and partnerships with Unibo, Unimore, ABABO, and private companies in the sector make it a one-of-a-kind project. Furthermore, thanks to its constant participation in international trade fairs, Bologna Game Farm has joined international networks made up of other incubators and accelerators, with constant discussion meetings and cross-pitching sessions between teams accelerated by BGF and those of other accelerators.
Below is the full program for the day:
The video game industry in Italy
State of the art, opportunities and prospects
Biagi Auditorium in Salaborsa
10.00 am
Institutional Greetings, Delegate of the Mayor of Bologna to the Cultural and Creative Industries
Coordinates Giorgia Boldrini, Director of the Culture and Creativity Sector, Municipality of Bologna
10.15 am – 11.30 am
“The video game industry in Italy”
Lucia De Siervo, Director of the Cultural Economy and Youth Policies Area, Emilia-Romagna Region
Barbara Busi, Area Manager Territories, Participation Attractiveness, ART-ER
Giovanna Trombetti, Director of the Economic and Social Development Area, CTE COBO/Metropolitan City of Bologna
Alessandro Calabrese, Head of CYBER 4.0 Advisory and Training
Thalita Malagò, Director General IIDEA
11.30 am – 12.30 pm
“CREATIVE MEDIA EUROPE and support for the development of video games and presentation of the new 2025 call for proposals” by Creative Europe, Turin MEDIA Office
Silvia Sandrone, Project Officer Creative Europe Desk Italy Media
Sarah Bellinazzi, Project Assistant Creative Europe Desk Italy Media
12.30 – 1.30 pm
Presentation of the winners of the Bologna Game Farm call – 2024 edition
Music Hall
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Info desk on Creative Europe’s call for proposals “Video games and immersive content development”
For businesses and professionals by reservation at torino@europacreativa-media.it