Irish game developers’ ability to punch above their weight in the competitive international games industry, and turn ambitious concepts into playable prototypes, has been boosted by IndieDev 2025.
IndieDev 2025, a cross-border fund programme supporting indie video game developers in Dublin, Galway, Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, Laois, Clare, Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Down, each received £15,000/€15,000 and 12 weeks of intensive mentorship to bring their visions to life.
Sharp Glass Games, Universe or Nothing, Reliable Plumbing Services, Space Lion Studios, Table Topple, Rúcach, Silly Goose Games, and Round Robin Interactive were the 2025 recipients of this pioneering programme managed by Galway-based Ardán and Dublin-based Imirt on behalf of Northern Ireland Screen and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.
The emerging developers were paired with industry mentors Dave McCabe (Spooky Doorway), Sam Redfern (Psychic Software), and Paul Froggatt (Outlier Games), who all shipped games to international markets last year and who brought their hard-won expertise to the programme.
From this, a variety of game prototypes have emerged, showing the diversity and creativity of the games development sector in Ireland: a hot air balloon simulator, a stealth-puzzle game, a meditative, cozy game, a roguelike strategy game, a 3D action-adventure platformer, a minimalist pinball-inspired perseverance platformer, a soft post-apocalyptic romance adventure visual novel, and a first-person, stealth exploration game.
“IndieDev is the best thing that could have happened to us as a newcomer game studio,” said Sharp Glass Games Irina Kuksova. “Being on the programme was key for connecting with professionals who helped us to test assumptions, try new approaches and get a better understanding of the industry. The funds gave us time to work on the project, while the commitment to deliver sped up our work. We are publishing the Deathwish Bloom prototype next month and are looking forward to growing further.”
“IndieDev gave us the space and structure to turn Persevere from an ambitious concept into a working, playable game,” said Universe Or Nothing’s Mark Aherne. “The mentorship, workshops, and focused development time helped us validate our ideas, sharpen our design, and build a prototype we’re extremely excited about. It’s been a huge step forward for the project and for us as a studio.”
“IndieDev is a great programme,” said Colm Larkin, Imirt CEO and founder of game studio Gambrinous. “If something like this had been around when I started my studio 12 years ago, I would have jumped at the chance to take part. There’s a real sense of things coming together in Ireland for games right now.”
The momentum built by IndieDev’s success continues with Sparks: Game Changers, a pilot career development course for people of underrepresented genders in the games industry. Run by Ardán in collaboration with Code Coven and supported by Screen Ireland, the programme tackles the soft skills that directly affect career progression—confident communication, self-advocacy, and job-hunting readiness in an industry still shaped by bias and power imbalances.
Ardán and the Irish Games Industry:
Other games industry initiatives in Ireland run by Ardán included the annual FÍS Games Summit, a pivotal gathering for the games industry in the West of Ireland, attracting international speakers; the Galway branch of the Irish Games Talent Incubator; Run For The Border which mentors and nurtures game dev talent in the border counties; and the Galway Film Fair Games Event at Galway Film Fleadh.
Ardán was also one of seven Galway organisations awarded funding under The Communicating Europe Initiative, managing the GameDev Connect Europe development project strand. This brought together game developers in Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Finland, and Sweden, highlighting how the games industry can work remotely and across borders, while also focusing on collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and community engagement.
