Quest Complete! Italic Pig becomes UK’s first three-time award winner from Creative Europe Media
Northern Ireland indie game studio Italic Pig have just received a €150 000 award from Creative Europe Media for the development of their new narrative-driven fantasy adventure game entitled Quest Quest: The Quest for Quests.
“I’m delighted that Italic Pig have once again been successful in accessing Creative Europe funding,” stated Rosie Le Garsmeur, Creative Europe Desk Manager for Northern Ireland. “The Video Games Development scheme is specifically for narrative games, and Italic Pig’s success speaks to the rich story-telling throughout their games. Quest Quest is a such a clever concept, full of the satire, parody and clever narratives that Italic Pig are well known for. I can’t wait to see how the game develops. Congratulations!”
Quest Quest is a farcical and poignant RPG fantasy adventure about an old time hack-&-slash hero travelling an enlightened new world, where the only quest left is to discover his own purpose. The game concept was pitched to Creative Europe as “an over-the-top deconstruction of the entire RPG genre: part narrative adventure, part rogue-like dungeon basher.”
Creative Europe is the European Union’s support programme for the cultural and creative sectors. Creative Europe Media’s Support for the Development of Video Games awards the early stages of original, story-driven games with a strong emphasis on narrative, character development, innovation and cultural diversity.
This is not the first time that Italic Pig have been successful in receiving Creative Europe Media funding. In 2015, they received their first award for the development of historical heist & forgery adventure Mona Lisa, and again in 2017 for the ambitious VR development of The Infinite Hotel. With the success of their Quest Quest pitch, Italic Pig have become the only studio in the UK to have received the award on three occasions.
Kevin Beimers attributes the studio’s success with Creative Europe to three factors: an irreverent approach to narrative, a willingness to bend the rules of design and mechanics, and a commitment to the development of the studio’s original IP:
“When people ask me what sort of games we make, I usually shrug and say, ‘self-indulgent, sarcastically-epic ones.’ Each game is radically different from the one before, but I believe that’s what it means to be an Indie Game Developer; there’s a game in the back of your mind that you’ve always wanted to play, but nobody’s made it for you, so you’ve finally decided to roll up your sleeves and make it yourself.”
The callout from Creative Europe Media received 125 pitches from 19 countries all over the EU, with a total of 32 successful companies chosen. Of the three successful companies from the UK, two were from Northern Ireland; Brain and Nerd (Predestination) were also successful with their new property Hortalius, an exploratory survival adventure with a tiny protagonist, set in the microscopic world of a suburban back garden.
“The very fact that two out of the three successful UK companies are from Northern Ireland is a testament to the level of narrative talent here,” adds Kevin. “There is an amazing local industry, a collaborative atmosphere with a heavy emphasis on narrative storytelling. The writers and developers working in the Northern Ireland game sector are never shy to build one another up, seeing a win for any company as a win for the entire region. As well, support from organisations like Creative Europe and Northern Ireland Screen have immeasurably helped NI rise up and get noticed in a busy global marketplace.”
Despite the current economic climate, the studio continues to grow. Late last year, Italic Pig grew to become the largest indie studio in the country with 18 staff members after successfully acquiring production funding from The Irregular Corp and Northern Ireland Screen to develop Paleo Pines, a management/farming sim about ranching dinosaurs. They’ve also seen two recent successes in their desire to expand into the animation market.
Italic Pig’s COO Amelia Lingman is excited about what’s to come: “There’s enough going on at Italic Pig to make your head spin, but the team always seems to make it work. The company has become a favourite for industry awards, receiving international critical acclaim for every new property it develops.”
“Maybe 2020 is our year,” adds Kevin, “and I don’t even mean that sarcastically.”
For more information:
Kevin Beimers
kevin@italicpig.com
07979726519
www.italicpig.com
@italicpig
Creative Europe MEDIA Sub-Programme
https://tinyurl.com/y4jpyjsg
The MEDIA Sub-programme of Creative Europe is designed to support European film and other audiovisual industries. It provides funding for the development, promotion and distribution of European works within Europe and beyond.