The program takes a “qualitative leap” with the presentation of the five games in a dedicated space at Europe’s most important industry events: GAMESCOM in Cologne and BCN GAME FEST in Barcelona.

Three Basque teams, one Galician team, and one Catalan team make up the 6th edition of GAME.EUS, running from June 10th to July 23rd.

The campus strengthens its commitment to professionalizing teams by expanding platforms and business models, while prioritizing local creation.

The video game sector generated €2.408 billion last year, reflecting 3% growth in consumption compared to the previous year, with a record-breaking 22 million gamers in Spain.

The 6th edition of the GAME.EUS video game accelerator campus was officially launched today, presenting key updates designed to enhance the professional opportunities of its participating teams and strengthen the sector in the Basque Country. Three Basque teams, one Catalan, and one Galician team are taking part in this intensive program, which runs from June 10th to July 23rd at the EUNEIZ University in Vitoria-Gasteiz. This year, the five accelerated projects will have their own stands at both Gamescom in Cologne and BCN Game Fest in Barcelona.

“Having an exclusive space at Europe’s two most important industry events represents a qualitative leap for the campus’ strategic objectives, offering a distinct advantage that significantly raises the professional prospects of participating teams and provides a unique opportunity for the selected projects to showcase their games to the international industry,” explains GAME.EUS Executive Director David Darnés.

Following the reformulation of its program guidelines in the previous edition, GAME.EUS further solidifies its professional focus by expanding platforms and business models, while emphasizing local creation. “The participation of three Basque teams is encouraging for the program’s public mission, which aims to foster and consolidate an innovation- and creativity-based economic ecosystem in Álava and the Basque Country — pillars that define the video game industry,” Darnés adds.

This initiative, driven by the Álava Provincial Council and the Basque Government under the direction of the EUNEIZ Foundation, further strengthens efforts to position the Basque Country as a talent hub and driving force in the video game industry. Álava’s Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability, Saray Zárate; EUNEIZ University Rector, Eva Eguiguren; and GAME.EUS Executive Director, David Darnés, presented the five teams participating this year at an event also attended by Itziar Redondo, Head of the Basque Government’s Cultural Planning Service. The program is coordinated by BIC Araba and sponsored by EUNEIZ University, which is hosting the campus for the fourth consecutive year.

Deputy for Economic Development and Innovation, Saray Zárate, emphasized that the development of the video game industry could have “enormous economic and employment impact” in the region in the coming years. “Cutting-edge training, the creation of development studios, and the attraction of companies related to this sector can generate a dynamic and vibrant business ecosystem. These elements attract investment and foster collaboration among tech and creative companies, universities, and research centers,” she underlined.

EUNEIZ Rector Eva Eguiguren welcomed the teams, who will work and receive training at the university for six weeks as they embark on “a professional path we want to help consolidate.” Eguiguren highlighted the role of the EUNEIZ Foundation, which has led the campus since last year, with the aim of “sharing knowledge and experience” in the video game sector, and “fostering talent creation” in Álava and the Basque Country, as the university already does through its two official video game degree programs. “EUNEIZ’s commitment is clear: we want to consolidate ourselves as a hub for education and entrepreneurship in video games, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and drawing from knowledge in fields like music production and digital design,” she added. “It’s especially gratifying for EUNEIZ to serve as a bridge between academic training and real employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in this sector, which is part of our DNA,” the rector emphasized.

From now on, the participating teams — who already have advanced projects — will embark on six weeks of training and mentoring, aimed at instilling a business mindset to successfully bring their games to market. After an initial audit of each project, teams will receive training sessions covering design, production, marketing, and business, along with individual mentoring by industry professionals to help improve their projects. “The goal is to deepen the teams’ knowledge of business, management, and communication tools, which are key to the survival of indie development teams,” says GAME.EUS Executive Director.

GAME.EUS will conclude on July 23rd with Demo Day, where the five teams will present their projects to publishers, investors, and industry professionals. This will serve as the final step before attending Gamescom in August and BCN Game Fest in October, “where they’ll be able to make a truly professional presentation of their projects, establish key contacts, and explore new opportunities for collaboration and growth.”

Among the mentors — seasoned experts with extensive experience in the video game industry and participation in international projects — are:

• Oscar Sahun, entrepreneur, game designer, and producer;

• Alexander Camarero, co-founder and creative director of Keplerians;

• Lucía Quijano, publishing and communication expert, co-founder of Impulse Lean Publishing;

• Arturo Monedero, Vice President of AEVI (Spanish Video Game Association), professor at EUNEIZ, entrepreneur, and game designer;

• Sandra Samper, academic director of EUNEIZ’s video game programs, business development and video game expert;

• Ferrán Puntí, co-founder and CEO of The Breach Studios;

• Virginia Martín Pérez, game designer with over 16 years of experience;

• Xènia Castelltort, coach and public speaking expert specializing in theatrical methodology;

• Aitor Jiménez, innovation expert leading Baskonia Alavés Group’s strategy in this field;

• David Darnés, campus director, consultant, and mentor in video games and technology.

In addition to mentoring, these experts will host public “mixers” to help bring the industry closer to society and enhance its visibility.

According to the 2024 Spanish Video Game Industry Yearbook published by AEVI (Spanish Video Game Association), video game consumption grew by 3% in 2024, reaching total revenues of €2.408 billion. That year, the gaming community hit a record of 22 million players, with women (50.45%) surpassing men (49.55%) for the first time.

The names of the teams and genres of the projects participating in this sixth edition are:

Flatline Studio (Barcelona): Formed by lifelong family and friends originally from Argentina but now mostly based in Barcelona. They are developing Into the Grid, a card game where you play as a hacker stealing data from evil mega-corporations.

Box Collider Game Studio (Vitoria-Gasteiz): Currently composed of two people from Vitoria-Gasteiz, one from Málaga, and a newly joined artist from Madrid. Good East is a strategy game where players explore the depths of a lost empire in search of its ancient riches before rival factions take them.

Zomorro Games (Gipuzkoa): Ibai Aizpurua is an independent developer operating under Zomorro Studio, based in Irún, Basque Country. His work is known for its experimental approach, exploring different mechanics and graphic styles in each project, such as clay, ink, or pixel art. In Guillotine, the game in development, you play as a ruthless, headless executioner doomed to wander the Basque Country in the early 20th century.

DEG Games (A Coruña): DEP Games is based in Galicia, where 90% of its team is from. An indie studio developing handcrafted video games. Unicorn Wars is an action-platformer where a holy war is waged between bears and unicorns. Slash, shoot, and kill to fulfill your divine mission. Death to the unicorn!

Auxilio Games (Bilbao): Founded in 2023 after participating in a Málaga Jam, with a focus on telling stories that challenge the status quo through a queer and LGBTQ+ lens. They are now developing their first professional project: The Great Farce, a nonlinear mystery game where the investigation depends on your decisions.

More information at: www.game.eus