Galway has been strengthened as a central hub for innovation in Ireland’s games industry – and taken a major step forward in the process – with the launch of the new Digital Games Portfolio funding strategy.

Funding of €500,000 in support of the Irish game development industry was announced at the FÍS Games Summit 2025, hosted by Ardán, and which took place at the Radisson RED Galway.

The new funding scheme, launched by Screen Ireland, will go towards initiatives to develop and strengthen both talent and the industry. It will be managed by Ardán, the organisation supporting creatives in film, TV, games, and animation, and Imirt, the national organisation for game developers and creators in Ireland.

Ardán CEO Alan Duggan said the Digital Games Portfolio was a recognition by Government of the importance of the Irish games industry.

“It is amazing to see this level of support. What this means is that the Government is investing directly in our industry and our creative talent,” he said.

CEO of Imirt Colm Larkin said that Ireland was now looking at games and game developers as a culturally relevant art form.

“It is now saying, ‘We need to support this. We need to show it is worthwhile supporting.’ This is just going to be the first step towards really growing our sector,” he said.

The Minister for Arts, Culture, Media, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, acknowledged that the international games industry represented a huge contestable market, one in which Ireland can excel based on our technical, design and storytelling competencies.

“This funding combined with the recently introduced tax credit for games are key steps along the government’s path to developing a national strategy for games,” he said.

Through the Digital Games Portfolio, Galway, along with Dublin, will become the chief locations in the State for “incubators” for individuals at the early stages of their careers.

The incubators will offer tailored training and mentorship in business and game development skills across twelve weeks. A pilot development fund is also being launched, targeting established Irish game studios, to allow them to develop IP within their workspaces.

Galway’s reputation as a focus point for the development of new ideas and directions in the nation’s game industry was further bolstered by the success of this year’s FÍS Games Summit.

As well as national and international guest speakers, the Summit had close to 300 people in attendance from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and across Ireland. The Summit has doubled in size since 2024, with this year’s event featuring the addition of roundtables, pitch sessions, and a demo room.

The energy and innovation of the Irish games were recognised by Xalavier Nelson Jr., the BAFTA-nominated and Forbes 30 under 30 Studio Head of game developer and publisher Strange Scaffold.

“I knew the Irish game development community was filled with incredibly passionate and skilled, amazing people – but what I’ve seen in person has been beyond anything I already knew or could have imagined,” he told the Summit.

Pictured at the FÍS Games Summit 2025, hosted by Ardán, were (from left) Paul Conway (Spooky Doorway/Ardán Board); Galway County Arts Officer Sharon O’Grady; James Hickey (Ardán Board Chair/Former CEO at Screen Ireland); Ardán CEO Alan Duggan;  Galway City Arts Officer Ruth Mulhern, and FÍS Games Summit Programmer Eoin Butler Thornton.