Done in partnership with Ontario Creates, Futures Forward (Formerly Fund Futures) is an annual program for early stage game developers in Ontario looking to create their own studios to learn business knowledge they need to succeed. Each year, we take in a select number of Ontario applicants with minimal business experience and a game project they want to make for a 7-week program to develop business skills and obtain mentorship. Not only does this increase their chances for success, but it also makes them eligible for an exclusive Ontario Creates grant.

Hand Eye Society has proudly run this program every year since 2017. Since then, several new indie studios have emerged from graduates of the program that have made innovative games such as A Short Hike, Civic Story, Hill Agency: Purity & Decay, Crafty Survivors, Umami Grove, and Duskwitch: Heroic Soul, among many others. Graduates of Futures Forward report many doors in the industry being open to them through the knowledge they’ve gained to acquire funding and support for their studios and projects.

Futures Forward is an annual program that typically runs every fall between October – December, with submissions usually opening for a limited time in September or October. Spots in the program are limited and will be based on the pitch in the application form, which is exclusively open to Ontario residents. If you are interested in the program, keep an eye out for this page, our website, and our newsletter for when we are accepting applications as submissions usually only open for a very short time. If you have further questions, please contact us.

Our annual Futures Forward program is made possible through the continued support of Ontario Creates.