THE DIGITAL CONTENT POLE HOSTS THE LAUNCH OF THE 2024 EDITION OF THE 'EUROPEAN VIDEOGAME ACCELERATOR'
The Malaga City Council hosts, through the National Digital Content Pole located in Tabacalera, the launch of the second edition of the 'European Videogame Accelerator' (EVA). This is the first face-to-face meeting of the 24 selected studies, from 14 European countries, which will take place on April 15 and 16 with presentations from experts in the sector and mentoring sessions of this acceleration program that will continue in the coming years. 6 months.
It is the second edition of the program aimed at companies in the video game sector that began last year and will culminate in 2025. It has as coordinator the German-French company SpielFabrique and as co-organizer with the National Digital Content Pole of Malaga and Arctic Games of Sweden, so that the maximum territory of the European continent (north, center and south) is covered. The total amount of the program is 799.932 euros for three years and is co-financed by 80% of the European Social Fund through the CREA MEDIA program; The remaining 20% is contributed by the partners (SpielFabrique, National Digital Content Pole and Arctic Games).
This year EVA has received 182 applications, an increase of more than 50% compared to 2023. Of these registrations, 24 studies have been selected, 4 of them Spanish: Angry Metal, boogysoft, Kraken's Den Studios y Under the Bed Games. The latter is one of the developers hosted in the National Digital Content Pole. All the studios will meet in Malaga, within a launch event that has a two-day program with content that includes workshops, mentoring and pitch training sessions. The days are completed with networking actions and a demo area in which participants in the program and the general public will be able to freely test the video games of this edition.
EVA is a six-month program that includes various workshops and personalized mentoring for each project. In addition to training, it also offers opportunities with forums and events to establish synergies with other developers and with potential investors and distributors. The program began in March with a virtual meeting, in which they met those who would be their mentors. Although it is in Malaga when a first face-to-face meeting takes place between all the participants, where they will be able to attend the first mentoring sessions.
The initiative continues on May 28 and 29 with online workshops on financing and publishing. In addition, virtual workshops on communication and marketing have been scheduled for June 25 and 26. The program ends in Cologne, Germany, with a personalized content program for studies within the framework of the fair Gamescom, one of the benchmark events in the sector.
ABOUT EVA
The European Video Games Accelerator, EVA, aims to improve the professionalization of participating studios, help them develop and finance international projects and support their growth strategy as a company. At the end of the program, the students will have acquired the necessary knowledge to expand their business capacity, as well as have a European perspective of the video game sector. EVA is focused on international markets and, therefore, the studios that participate in it must travel regularly, combining in-person and virtual sessions, to maximize networking opportunities. In this sense, Malaga is chosen as a reference center in digital entrepreneurship projects to host the beginning of the program.
The initiative focuses on business and management mentoring in different areas of work, such as project/study management and organization, publishing strategies, investment financing and financial strategies, community creation, pitching and positioning methods, branding , communication and PR strategy.
