The video game prototypes created by the eight winning teams of the fourth edition of Bologna Game Farm are ready, extended nationwide for the first time thanks to the involvement of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy and CTE COBO.
Bologna Game Farm, Emilia-Romagna’s public accelerator for the video game sector, conceived and coordinated by the Municipality of Bologna, supported eight video game projects in 2025, developed by eight teams from different regions of Italy.
In addition to a contribution of up to 25,000 euros each, the winning teams benefited from an acceleration program, which after the first phase lasting five months (from January to May) led to the development of 8 video game Vertical Slices ready to be presented at trade fairs where potential publishers interested in marketing them could be identified.
Here are the projects carried out by the 8 teams in recent months:
“Darwake”, by Samuele Canina (Turin): 2D adventure game with puzzle components that uses the collaboration between the protagonist and his owl companion. The narrative focuses on the dream dimension which, enriched by detailed graphics, offers a deep and engaging gaming experience.
“In Their Shoes”, by We Are Muesli srl – Impresa Sociale (Milan): a narrative game composed of everyday life experiences in contemporary Milan, which offers an empathetic perspective on the personal stories of its seven characters.
“Astro Ski”, by Digital Mosaik srl (Modena): VR video game that allows you to compete in space ski races on different planets. An interplanetary skiing experience with a futuristic twist that uses a third-person perspective to make VR more accessible.
“Bad Water” by AC Software srl (Bologna): game that combines the City-Builder genre with elements of Tower-Defense. In a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a flood, the player must build a floating city by day and defend it by night from creatures called Bloots, formed from a mysterious oily substance.
“Journey to the Void” by RuneHeads srl (Milan): Roguelike Deck-Builder with turn-based strategic RPG elements. The story follows a young hero who tries to recover the heart of a corrupt Ancient Being to stop his influence on the Continent.
“The island of crossed destinies” by Paper Tigers (Brescia): 2D narrative game set in 19th-century colonial Malaysia. The player takes on the role of Captain Marlowe, who is busy solving the mystery of a crime (and his own past) through investigations and deductions.
“Lofsöng” by Unrelated srl (Turin): an exploration game based on an environmental narrative that investigates the concept of “deep time” and communication between eras. The player travels through desert landscapes to discover and reconnect past and future, to create a bridge of communication between generations.
“Road to Yvhalon” by Levante Games (Bologna): VR game set in a fantasy world inspired by ancient civilizations, where the player explores the relationship between man and divinity through Soulslike gameplay mechanics.
The acceleration program, which this year too was held at the ART-ER greenhouses inside the Margherita Gardens in Bologna, included among the many activities in-person mentorship days open for the first time not only to BGF winners but also to those studying or working in the video game field in Emilia-Romagna, fostering interaction between those present in an extremely stimulating work environment and in a climate of great collaboration.
The acceleration events, which began in January with a busy schedule of meetings organized into monthly sessions, were, as always, coordinated by Ivan Venturi together with Project Manager Sara De Martini, with the participation of mentors from highly experienced video game development companies, with the aim of helping the teams:
complete the development team and define roles within your organization
review different aspects of your project: from game design to the technological system to the budget, to implement a solid development plan
coding/tech (IT) programming
produce assets in 2D/3D
use audio, music, localizations, to enhance your game
evaluate video game publishing and distribution strategies
The demos of the eight video games were presented to a delegation of various industry publications during the annual Press Day held today at the Serre. The journalists present, in addition to learning more about the evolution of Bologna Game Farm in these first four years of activity, had the opportunity to get to know the teams of this fourth edition and have fun playing with accelerated video game prototypes!
The acceleration will conclude in June with a focus on how to deliver a proposal/pitch for publishers and the publisher/self-publishing strategy, ahead of participation in First Playable.
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, Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association.
The first four editions of Bologna Game Farm successfully selected and accelerated twenty development teams composed of businesses and freelancers from the first three editions of Emilia-Romagna and the fourth edition, including from other Italian regions. Three teams have already signed publishing agreements, the others are continuing their development with a view to self-publishing.
To download video game trailers and images: Press kit