Israel's indie game developers win first-ever Gameis grants

Israel’s gaming industry continues to grow, and at the first-ever GameIS grant awards, three independent developers received funding to support their projects. The awards, presented by the digital games association GameIS and sponsored by video game-focused fintech company Xsolla, aim to nurture local talent and strengthen the industry.

Around 80 independent developers submitted games across multiple platforms, ranging from PC to mobile, and spanning genres from casual and RPG to action, strategy, and experimental hybrids. “I’ve seen many different takes and very interesting and creative takes on existing genres as well as mixes of new genres,” said Ido Brosh, president of GameIS.

The judging panel, consisting of seasoned professionals from the Israeli gaming sector, awarded three prizes. Third place, winning 10,000 shekels (roughly $3,200), went to Ribcage Games for Alpha Nomos, a genre-bending mix of action and rhythm. “As a tiny indie team, seeing someone say ‘Hey, we like your game, we think it actually has worth’ is an amazing feeling,” said Emil Lager of Ribcage Games.

Second place, winning 20,000 shekels ($6,400), was Aviv Levy for his pandemic-themed puzzle game Xenospore, about defending the world from an alien fungus. Levy, a solo developer, said the grant will allow him to expand his team and improve the game. “I do the art and the programming, and now I can also hire someone to do the music, so that helps me a lot,” he said.

The top prize of 30,000 shekels ($9,500) went to Cookiebyte Entertainment for Tattered Banners, a strategy-focused roleplaying game set in a medieval fantasy world. “Hard to put it into words, we’re feeling ecstatic,” said Avishai Karawan of Cookiebyte. Eran Yaacobi added that the grant will help them release a demo in April.

Brosh emphasized the broader goal of the program. “We want to nurture local talent so they can continue generating value for this market and diversify the market to make sure we generate a range of products from different types of companies. That will strengthen our industry locally,” he said.

While these grants are modest compared to full game development budgets, they provide vital support to Israel’s growing independent gaming sector. The awards highlight the increasing recognition and investment in local digital game development.