Creative Europe MEDIA 2027: up to €200,000 for video games and immersive content

On 30 September 2026 the European Commission opened the Creative Europe MEDIA call "European video games and immersive content" (CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVVGIM). The call funds the development of narrative video games and interactive immersive experiences. Video game studios, XR studios and audiovisual production companies from the participating countries, including Romania, can apply. The grant is a lump sum of up to €200,000 per project, calculated at a funding rate of 60%, and applications must be submitted by 2 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

In brief

• Programme: Creative Europe, MEDIA strand, call CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVVGIM
• Authority: European Commission, through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• Beneficiaries: European video game production companies, XR studios and audiovisual production companies
• Total budget: €13.5 million for 2027, according to the Funding & Tenders portal
• Value per project / intensity: lump sum of up to €200,000, funding rate of 60%
• Submission period: 30 September 2026 – 2 February 2027, 17:00 (Brussels time)
• Status: call open, single-stage submission

What does the call fund?

The money goes only to the development phase (pre-production). The call covers concepts and prototypes of interactive stories, with original content or quality gameplay, designed for production and for sale on the global market. The accepted platforms are PCs, consoles, mobile devices, tablets, smartphones and other technologies.

The production phase is not eligible. In the call documents, production starts with the testing and debugging of the first prototype and ends with the final version (Gold Master).

The following cannot be funded:

• games without a narrative component. The story must run throughout the game, not only in the introduction or the ending.

The Commission also asks applicants to explain how they will make their activity more sustainable and more environmentally friendly, and how they will ensure gender balance, inclusion and diversity.

Who can apply?

A European company whose main activity is video game production or development, entertainment software development or audiovisual production can apply. Publishers are not eligible.

The most important condition is prior experience. The coordinator must have produced or developed a video game or an immersive experience, interactive or non-interactive, commercially distributed between 1 January 2024 and the submission deadline. Titles made on commission (work-for-hire) and those still in Early Access do not count as prior experience, because they are not finished works. A studio that does not yet have any title on the market does not meet this condition.

How does the grant work?

Funding is awarded as a lump sum. The amount is set on the basis of the project's estimated budget and the 60% funding rate, with a ceiling of €200,000 per project. The amount awarded may be lower than the amount requested. The remaining 40% of the budget is covered by the company, from its own resources or from partners.

Projects normally last no more than 36 months. Extensions are possible only if justified.

How and by when do you apply?

The application is submitted electronically, on the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal, by 2 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time (18:00 in Romania). Evaluation takes place between February and June 2027, and the grant agreements are signed in October 2027. This means that the funded development can realistically start only at the end of 2027.

The Creative Europe Desk in Romania offers free information about the call at media@europa-creativa.eu.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: the call suits Romanian studios that already have at least one title commercially released after 1 January 2024 and a new project still at the concept or early prototype stage. If the new game has already entered production, it is no longer eligible. The previous title cannot be one that is still in Early Access or made on commission.

What is worth preparing now:

• Proof of commercial distribution of the previous title: the digital store page, sales reports, the contract with the platform.
• A realistic development budget, broken down by work packages. With lump sums, money is paid for delivered results, not against invoices, so the plan must be easy to verify.
• The market and production financing strategy: how you get from prototype to global launch and who finances production.
• Sustainability and diversity measures, described concretely, not as a general statement.

Common pitfalls: projects where the narrative appears only in cutscenes, budgets in which the 40% own contribution is not covered, and confusion between development and production. If you are not sure that your company meets the basic conditions, you can start with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can a video game studio from Romania apply?

Yes. Romania participates in the Creative Europe programme, so game studios, XR studios and audiovisual production companies registered here can apply. The condition is that they have commercially distributed a game or an immersive experience between 1 January 2024 and the submission deadline.

How much can a project receive?

No more than €200,000, as a lump sum. The grant covers 60% of the estimated budget, and the company provides the rest.

Can the full production of the game be funded?

No. The call covers development only, that is, the concept and the prototype. The phase that starts with testing the first prototype and ends with the final version is not eligible.

Can video game publishers apply?

No. Publishing companies are explicitly excluded. Only companies that actually produce or develop games, entertainment software or audiovisual productions can apply.

When will the results be known?

Evaluation takes place between February and June 2027, and the grant agreements are signed in October 2027, according to the call timetable.

Official sources

• Funding & Tenders Portal – European video games and immersive content (CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVVGIM)
• Call document CREA-MEDIA-2027-DEVVGIM
• Creative Europe Desk Ireland – Video Games + Immersive Content Development 2027
• Creative Europe Desk MEDIA Catalunya – European video games and immersive content
• Creative Europe Desk Romania – Video games and immersive content

Information checked on 3 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.