German Government Will Support Local Game Developers With Funding

? Government Support

• German government released a major initiative in support of national gaming industry — a funding plan that will allow developers to get back up to 50% of their development costs

• Companies will be able to submit for a “non-repayable grant” to the Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) starting September 28, 2020

• To qualify for the fund, the company must:

  • have headquarters or registered business within Germany

  • be a legal entity like GmbHs and UGs

  • prove financial security of the project

  • benefit to economic and job market of Germany

  • prove that funding is necessary

  • pass the “cultural test”. It should be similar to the one in UK, which asks: cultural content, cultural contribution, cultural hubs, cultural practitioners

• The fund covers variety of projects, from prototypes and co-productions to ports:

  • Prototype production costs must be between $35.7k and $476k

  • Other types of production must cost of at least $119k

• The funding of the project depends on its development cost:

  • Projects between $119k and $2.4m will receive up to a maximum of 50% of funding

  • Projects between $2.4m and $9.5m will receive between 50% and 25% of funding on digressive scale

  • Projects above $9.5m will receive a maximum of 25% of funding

  • Projects above $47.6m will require individual evaluation, based on “innovative impulses, cultural relevance, economic effects and available means”, though existing thresholds remain in place

• The funding doesn’t exclude any other types of subsidies

SOURCES: GAMESINDUSTRY, GAME.DE