Creative England's Greenshoots, a programme concieved by Creative England and Microsoft with the aim of helping start-up studios find their feet, has handed out a total of £225,000 to nine indie developers.

The studios -  which includes Big Indie Pitch contestant Whispering Gibbion (its game Tiny Trees pictured right) and FIFA-fighters Team Football - have all picked up £25,000 each, having secured the funding by attending an indie game showcase and proving that their projects have what it takes to usher in a 'new and exciting era' on Windows platforms.

While the successful candidates are being encouraged to release their game on all platforms,  the Greenshoots movement is especially interested in developers with a passion for Windows. 

Nurturing talent

Ian Livingstone, a recently appointed Creative England board member, is delighted that smaller studios are being given 'vital' funding.

“The UK has a wealth of creative talent that is the driving force behind the booming indie games industry. But in order to scale, these businesses need the right investment and support,” explained Livingstone.

“I’m delighted that vital funding is being provided by a dedicated team through the Greenshoots programme to meet this urgent need. The resultant games benefiting from this essential funding speak for themselves.”

Creative England's head of games and digitial, Jaspal Sohal, has also spoken out, explaining that funding fantastic games and finding fresh talent is what the Greenshoots programme is all about.

“These fantastic games are exactly what the Greenshoots programme is all about – supporting new and emerging games developers and seeing their ideas come to life,” said Sohal.

“They are a prime example of what can be achieved with the right investment and support. We are proud to have worked withn such a talented bunch of games developers whose passion has been evident throughout the whole process.”