-The initiative, which was launched by the Basque Government and the Diputación Foral de a lava and was led by the EUNEIZ Foundation in July; The conference included a dozen public talks given by renowned industry professionals 

-The Demo Day, which is held this afternoon at the Palace of Villa Suso, includes a round table with women experts in the “Gaming” in Euskadi, besides the presentation of the accelerated video games of two Basque teams, two Catalan and one from Zaragoza 

-The five developer groups will have the opportunity to present their projects at the Gamescom, which takes place in late August in Cologne, as the final clout of the programme 

The GAME.EUS gaming accelerator campus comes to an end. After a month of intense work, the program closes today its fifth edition with a Demo Day in which the five participating teams will show their video game projects to industry experts. The initiative, promoted by the Basque Government, the Diputación Foral de Álava and led by the EUNEIZ Foundation during this month of July, The conference will be held in Brussels from 1 to 2 October 1998.

The Demo Day, which is held today, August 1 at the Villa Suso Palace, includes the round table “Women leaders in Gaming in Euskadi: Experiences and Trajectories”, in addition to the public presentation of the accelerated video games of the five teams with a subsequent networking space, The European Commission’s Information Society Initiative, which is specifically aimed at creators and developers to establish contacts with publishers and investors in the sector.

Two teams from the Basque Country, two from Catalonia and one from Zaragoza have participated in the GAME.EUS video game accelerator campus -a development of the four years of experience of F2P Campus that has now been transformed into a firm commitment to the creation and consolidation of local talent and to the promotion of the video game sector in Araba and the Basque Country. The Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability, Saray Zárate and the Academic Director of the Degrees in Video Games at EUNEIZ University, Sandra Samper, participate in the final act of this campus that, with the new approach, has expanded the platforms, the business model to develop among participants  (mobile, PC/Console, Free-to-Play, Premium… ) and has prioritized its Basque origin.   Two of the five teams are composed of Basque creators – from Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao- The rest of the groups are Catalan and Saragossa developers.

The Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability, Saray Zárate, has assured that “We firmly believe in the potential of this nascent industry, and we are resolutely betting from the Diputación Foral for its momentum, to take advantage of the capacity that it has to generate

The European Commission has published a report on the Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Development. We are clear that the development of the video game industry can have a huge economic and employment impact in the Territory in the coming years”.

The Academic Director of the Degrees in Video Games at EUNEIZ University,  Sandra Samper, has highlighted the commitment of this institution to become a driving force for the development of the sector, creating talent through two degrees in video games and helping the consolidation and “professionalization” of small businesses with this accelerator campus. It also welcomed the institutional support for the video game sector, “because working together it will be possible to strengthen the ecosystem and turn it into an industry that generates employment, wealth and well-being in the Basque Country”.

On the part of the EUNEIZ Foundation, David Darnés, director of the campus, has described the work carried out at GÁME.EUS as a “great success”, given that its “new approach” comes to “To cover the gaps in strategy and management tools in micro-enterprises of video games that are often decisive for their survival”. In this sense, the mission of the campus has been to provide them with knowledge and resources mainly in business aspects such as the elaboration of a Business Plan, a good presentation or marketing and sales plan, “in order to provide them with a business vision that complements their creative profile”. 

The programme’s director, coordinated by BIC Araba and sponsored by the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council and EUNEIZ University, The University of Barcelona, which is the third consecutive year that this campus is located in, has recalled that at the end of August, the next milestone will come for the participating teams. It is the exhibition of their video games at the Gamescom, the largest and most important fair in southern Europe, which will take place in Cologne between 21 and 23 August- and final clasp of GAME.EUS. ” This was in fact the fundamental objective of the program, going to Gamescom, The European Commission has published a report on the European Union’s work programme for the Year 2000, which is being prepared by the European Commission and the Member States”. In fact, they have received training and personal advice over five weeks, through mentoring, The European Commission has recently launched a call for proposals to help SMEs in the European Union.

Among the mentors, experts with a long history in the video game industry and participating in projects of international dimension, It is worth mentioning the attendance of professionals such as Oscar Sahun, entrepreneur, designer and producer of video games, Gerard Fernández, entrepreneur, investor and developer of video games, Ignacio Marín, producer  and Gameloft’s Game Manager, Arturo Monedero, vice-president of AEVI (Spanish Association of Video Games), professor at EUNEIZ, entrepreneur and game designer, Sandra Samper, academic director of the EUNEIZ video game degrees and expert in business development and video games, Sergi Manaut, elevator pitch coach and public speaking, José Herráez, director of communication at Ubisoft, and finally, David Darnés himself, director of this campus, entrepreneur, consultant and mentor in video games and technology.  

The teams and gender of the projects that are now on display at Villa Suso are as follows:

• Ametz Games.- Victorian studio formed by a single dev. “Detective Firefly” is a narrative puzzle game set in a world full of bugs. In it, you have to decide between being an accomplice of a corrupt system by the Mantis Yakuza or risk everything to bring it down.
• Gaua Games.– With the intention of remembering old times, Gaua Games, -team from Bilbao- has created “Darby Is Here Forever”, a retro experience about a friendly vampire, with the goal of captivating all those people who started playing video games more than 25 years ago.
• Can Pixel Studio.- Lovers of cats and Barcelona architecture will enjoy “Catcelona: a purrfect city”, a video game in which you try to find 300 very real cats that are hiding in Barcelona. A 2D black and white experience that promises peace of mind and fun in equal parts.
• Dhelpra Games.– Team of four young people from Catalonia moved by the passion and the illusion of creating video games. In their goal of developing innovative games in mechanics and systems, they present “Nomad Defender”, a Tower Defense game with a mixture of genres somewhat peculiar.
• Sidral Games.- Team formed by four friends of Zaragoza united by their passion for pixelated challenges and fun mechanics. “Hyperwired” is a frenetic space arcade where you fly a ship with a hanging charger that will recharge your energy and resources while trying to survive waves of enemies.