Germany drops €8 million on Everspace devs like it's a legendary loot drop

Rockfish Games, the studio behind the Everspace space shooter franchise, has bagged the maximum possible grant of €8 million from the German government's freshly-buffed games funding program, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The money is earmarked for the next entry in the Everspace series, and yes, that's the full €8 million cap - Rockfish didn't just get a rare drop, they got the rarest drop.

The funding comes from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), which has been running this particular games grant program since 2020. The scheme has now grown into a hefty €125 million fund, handing out grants that range from €300,000 all the way up to €8 million per project depending on scale.

So how does Germany's government-sponsored loot table work?

Think of it as a co-op arrangement where the state covers up to 50% of game production and prototype development costs - Germany is basically playing support so its devs can carry harder. The grants aren't loans, so Rockfish doesn't have to grind through years of debt repayment just to keep the lights on during development.

For context, Everspace 2 launched into Early Access in 2021 and hit full release in 2023, receiving strong reviews for its blend of open-world space exploration and fast-paced combat. A third entry was always a case of "when" rather than "if" - and now it looks like the funding question has been answered in the most dramatically European way possible.

Germany speedrunning its way to game industry dominance?

This move signals Germany getting serious about competing in the global games industry. A €125 million fund is no joke, and with the maximum grant going straight to a studio with a proven track record, it looks like the ministry isn't just throwing gold coins into a wishing well - they're actually playing smart.

No release window or official title for the next Everspace game has been announced yet, so fans will have to sit tight. But knowing there's €8 million of government fuel in the tank? That's one heck of a health bar to start a new game with.