PlayFirst announces $30k in grants to independent game developers
PlayFirst, a publisher focused exclusively on casual games, has announced that it has granted $30,000 in awards to independent developers who submitted games to the 2007 Developer Dash funding program. Recipients range from incorporated companies to individual developers across the globe. The winners are Kef Sensei (Uruguay), SortaSoft (USA), Mini IT (Russia), Beatshapers (Ukraine), Sergey Batishchev (Russia) and Rafal Kozik (Poland).
“Historically, expansion in video game adoption has largely been driven by innovations in game design,” said John Welch, CEO and president of PlayFirst who is keynoting the Casual Games Summit at GDC on Monday, Feb. 18. “As a leader in casual games, we consider it our privilege and responsibility to encourage creativity among the development community. Fostering creativity benefits everyone because innovative hits lift the profile and appeal of the entire category.”
Launched at the 2007 Game Developers Conference (GDC), Developer Dash is PlayFirst’s funding initiative to inspire creativity and innovation in the casual games industry. As part of the program, PlayFirst has ear-marked $100,000 per year in funds to recognize game developers for delivering creative and innovative games. As a result of the 2007 Developer Dash, PlayFirst also completed a new publishing contract with Kef Sensei based on the company’s outstanding submission to the program.
“We received dozens of Developer Dash entries in 2007, which is fantastic given that this was the first year Playground SDK was freely available,” said Craig Bocks, director of publishing, PlayFirst. “Many of those submissions were grant worthy and we’re extremely pleased to announce that one in particular, from Kef Sensei, led us to sign a publishing deal with the developer.”
“Winning a Developer Dash award is exciting and the publishing deal is like a dream come true for a startup game studio like ours,” said Eli Barnett, CEO, Kef Sensei. “PlayFirst is really stepping up in their search for new, talented developers that challenge existing genres and game dynamics to take the casual industry to an entirely new level. The Developer Dash program provides a great incentive for small and talented developers who have great ideas, but are in need of funding.”
PlayFirst investors include Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners and DCM.
Source: PlayFirst Release
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