Tips to Get CMF Innovation & Experimentation Funding
We received our CMF Production Funding, and now we're here to help you do the same!
Securing production funding from the Canada Media Fund (CMF) can be a game-changer for indie developers. But with a record number of applications, your project needs to stand out more than ever. When we received the news that we were successful in the Innovation & Experimentation program funding, we were told that over 50 applications were submitted, and only 7 were successful. To check out all the selected projects in this previous round, see this post.
Our application was recommended with a grade of 78.83/100. We were the last project to get funded out of the 7, which means all other projects scored above 80.
Ahead of the second intake for the Innovation and Experimentation program, closing on September 10, 2024, we decided to share how we managed to be one of the lucky few to receive production funding last round. Beware however, that a lot of the things we share below take months to implement and might not benefit you for this upcoming application.
Pitch to Publishers Early
One of the first steps we took was to start pitching to publishers ridiculously early. Building relationships before you even have a finished prototype can be a game-changer. Not only did this help us refine our pitch as we were building a prototype, but it also allowed us to secure letters of support from publishers, which significantly strengthened our CMF application. We wrote an article about creating a pitch deck for your game to use when talking with publishers here.
Initially we were hesitant to pitch early, thinking that we only had one shot and that we might burn bridges with publishers. This turned out to not be the case for us. Most often, publishers told us that they were interested but that they needed to see more of the game before moving further.
Closed Playtests and Player Feedback
We ran several closed playtests to gather raw data and player feedback. This wasn’t just for improving the game—it was also crucial for our application. It demonstrated that real players were engaging with our prototype and helped prove there was a market for our game. We even asked one of our most dedicated community members to record a testimonial about the game, which we added to a Meet the Team style video as supporting material. Although this video is not mandatory for the application, all 3 jurors mentioned that they watched and enjoyed the video. Below is the video we submitted with our application.
Community Building
Building a community around your game is essential. Whether it’s on Discord, social media, or through live events, showing that you’re active and already have a following adds a lot of value. We made sure to highlight our community engagement in our application, which included playtesting sessions, posting regular updates on social media, and attending industry events like GDC and Gamescom. We highly recommend recording video and taking pictures of people playing your game to add to your “Meet the Team” video.
It’s also important to think ahead about what you want to do about community building as your game enters production. Including things like campaign ideas, social media strategies, and event attendance will help show the jurors that you have thought through the next few years.
Leverage Mentorship
Seeking help from mentors was another key move. We built a network of experienced industry professionals who provided guidance and application reviews before submission as well as helping us in our game dev journey. This not only improved our game but also added credibility to our team in the eyes of the CMF. To quote one of the jurors from our feedback, “The team is new, but studio members have produced a great looking Demo. Seem to have the right people as mentors and it shows.”
Thinking Like a Publisher
One of the biggest lessons we learned was to think of the CMF as a publisher. They want to know that your project is a safe bet. We focused on mitigating as much risk as possible by showing how our team was prepared to make and finish the game. We outlined our financial strategy, target audience, and how we planned to reach them. We also highlighted similar games on the market and explained how our project was different.
Team Section
Don’t underestimate the importance of the team section in your application. While we’ve heard that teams that have not released a commercial project yet are at a huge disadvantage, do not let that discourage you from applying. Demonstrating our team’s experience building prototypes still earned us points and showcasing our team’s dedication to the project through other activities like winning the GDC pitch competition really helped us here. We still scored 9/13 in this section despite not having a shipped game as a studio.
Salary Deferrals Still Work
Although more risky in their eyes, the CMF still accepts salary deferrals as a way to finance your project. We had heard that the CMF was less likely to accept deferrals from now on, but it sounds like it depends on the project.
Interim Financing
We also opted to work with a reputable bank like the BDC to secure interim financing. We went through a loan application and received a term sheet from the BDC to add to our application. This showed that we had been vetted by a reputable source and proved less risky in the eyes of the CMF. The CMF is particularly concerned with intellectual property (IP) ownership and a reputable bank like the BDC is much less likely to offer predatory terms that might infringe on IP than a private lender. If you are going with a private company to provide financing, make sure to read the small print.
Market Study and Benchmarks
This was perhaps the most challenging document to write due to the condensed page count (only 10 pages maximum), but we came up with a good strategy to ensure we included all the necessary information - and, as one juror said, we created a “pretty flawless Market Study doc”. There is a lot of research required for this section outside of your internal data, including information on your competitors, your games market and your audience, your marketing platforms market and audiences, and realistic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your success. This portion is only worth 10% of your overall submission grade, but will be a key indicator of your strengths and knowledge about your game.
Base your market study on real data! We used Chris Zukowski’s benchmarks from his blog How to Market a Game to figure out how our game was performing during prototyping. Specifically, we used our demo’s median playtime as a benchmark because we were already playtesting on Steam. Turns out, the median playtime for our game fell into the Diamond tier. Plan which benchmark you want to utilize early so that when application time comes, you can add real data to your application. Another popular benchmark is Steam wishlists.
Our advice: launch a "coming soon" page on Steam as soon as possible, even if you don’t have a trailer or press release ready. For small indies like us, getting picked up by the press is unlikely, so it’s better to start gathering wishlists organically through playtesting. If you don’t have data to support your application, it’s a sign that you need to do more to get it.
We wrote a whole article on community building and marking a marketing plan for your game here.
Marketing Agency
Securing a marketing agency on retainer and getting a letter of support from them was a big plus for our application. We met with various service providers at GDC who were willing to support us, which added a lot of credibility to our marketing plan.
Self-publish or Publisher?
We had both a plan A (self-publishing) and a plan B (seeking a publisher) in our market study, and we made sure to outline both options in our application. This demonstrated that we were prepared for any scenario. In order to support the publisher route, we pitched our game to dozens of publishers and asked for letters of support from them. Access to capital is scarce and we found that publishers are more than happy to come on board with a partner like the CMF to secure financing. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Innovate, But Be Strategic
Innovation is great, but it needs to be grounded in reality. We made sure our innovative features were directly tied to the market analysis we conducted. This showed the CMF that we weren’t just being creative for creativity’s sake, but that we were innovating in ways that would resonate with our target audience. This will be one of the heaviest-weighted documents, so make sure you are investing a lot of time within this section.
Supporting Documents
Adding additional documents to support your Innovation, Creativity and Advancement piece is crucial. We added the Meet the Team video which we discussed earlier, we also added an Art book and a playthrough of our demo (which is required for the application). Here’s what one of our jurors had to say about it: “Overall a very strong, well articulated proposal with complementary supporting materials to add more clarity and highlight all of the key features about the game play. Well done to this team.”
Final Thoughts
Getting CMF production funding is no small feat, but with the right preparation, it’s possible. Focus on building strong relationships with publishers early, gathering player data, and thinking of the CMF as a publisher which will help you frame your application in a way that mitigates risks for them. Show that you’re active in the community and have a solid plan for both development and marketing. By doing so, you’ll not only improve your chances of getting funded but also set your project up for long-term success.
Good luck out there!