German Federal budget includes 50 million euros for games funding for the first time
Berlin, 8 November 2018 – A historical step for games funding in Germany: the federal budget for 2019 includes 50 million euros for the introduction of a games fund to promote computer game development at the federal level in the future. In implementing this project, the federal government is now making good on one of the pledges in the coalition agreement in which the CDU, CSU and SPD committed to introducing a games fund. The fund will be located at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, which was already responsible for the German Computer Games Awards in the last legislative period.
‘The inclusion of games funding in the federal budget for 2019 is a historic step for Germany as a games location. For the first time ever, the development of games is being promoted at the federal level in Germany. Now, we’re only a few steps from the finish line,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Currently, the framework conditions for game development in Germany are hardly competitive at an international level. It is now a question of developing a concrete funding programme as quickly as possible and having it notified by the EU. It is only the introduction of the games fund that will give us a chance to catch up with the international hotspots of games development.’
For many years now, game has been campaigning for the introduction of games funding at a federal level and developed the model for the German Games Fund in this context. The background to this was the fact that the framework conditions for game development in Germany are not especially competitive by international standards. Countries such as the UK, France and Canada have been supporting games development for several years now. As a result, production costs are up to 30 per cent lower than in Germany. These strong competitive disadvantages have, among other things, led to a decline in the market share of game developments from Germany over the last few years. Most recently, game developers in Germany received less than 6 euros from every 100 euros spent on games in Germany.
game – the German Games Industry Association
game is the association of the German games industry. Members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports companies, institutions and service providers. As the sponsor of gamescom, game is responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. it is an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Its mission is to make Germany the leading location for game development.