The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has invested more than $23 million in prototyping and production funding through three of its interactive digital media programs.

The projects were split between the funder’s Prototyping Program, consisting of 20 projects that recieved $4.2 million in prototyping funding; the Innovation and Experimentation Program, made up of ten projects that received $10.5 million in production funding; and the Commercial Projects Program, which invested $8.9 million into seven video game projects.

The Prototyping Program included 19 games and one exhibition combining live performance and mixed reality. The program allocates funding to projects at the early stages of product building. Decisions are made through an internal selective and competitive process led by the CMF program administrator, according to the Friday (Feb. 7) release.

Seven projects are based in Quebec, five in Ontario, three each in Alberta and B.C. and one each in Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador. Nine video games received $245,000 in prototype funding, the largest amount for any one project.

Some of those projects include Sunseekers from Winnipeg’s Flightyfelon Games, Whitechapel from  St. John’s-based Other Ocean Interactive NL and Three Spires from Montreal’s Ever Curious Entertainment.

The Innovation and Experimentation Program included eight games, one online VR experience and mixed-reality immersive exhibition and one multiplayer mixed-reality experience. Funding decisions for the projects were made by a jury of industry peers.

Four of the selected companies hail from Ontario, three from B.C., two from Quebec and one from Alberta. The largest amount of funding any one project received was $1.4 million, which went to Toronto-based Stitch Media game First Moon of Mercury.

Six other projects received over $1 million. Among them is Build, Blob, Brawl, an immersive experience from Vancouver’s Coal Car Studio; re:Rite – Make Your Move, a game from Vancouver’s Buffalo Buffalo Labs; and the game Demonwars from Montreal’s Lucid Dream Studios.

The Commercial Projects Program, which funds projects that have a greater probability of commercial success, included five games produced in Quebec, one in Ontario and one in Alberta. Selections were made by a jury of gaming and tech veterans. The largest investment was $1.5 million, which went to three games.

Those games are Surfpunk from Montreal’s Double Stallion Games, Tempered Hue from Calgary-based Zugalu and Project Jupiter from Montreal’s KO_OP Mode.

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