Game Association Fears Worse Conditions for Games Funding

At the political opening of gamescom, the German Federal Ministry for the Economy and Climate Protection presented the key points of the new subsidy guidelines, which will apply from the beginning of 2025. The industry association game does not like it at all. It fears setbacks.

The big signal the German games industry was hoping for from politicians at gamescom was not the case. Worse still, the key points of the new funding guidelines presented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action at the start of the fair disappointed game - Verband der deutschen Games-Branche (The Germany Games Industry Association)

In a first statement, the association criticises several points. Specific funding amounts remain unclear. It would also not be possible to combine federal and state funding, as is possible in the film sector. The fact that only prototypes and projects with a minimum volume of 300,000 euros are to be funded would also exclude smaller start-ups. The association is also critical of the fact that applications can no longer be submitted on an ongoing basis, but only on two different dates.

"The new funding guideline threatens to further worsen the framework conditions for games companies. This means that we will still not be able to compete in Germany. At the same time, specific questions remain unanswered that the Ministry should now clarify with us as an industry before the directive is submitted to the EU Commission for notification. We finally need a clear focus on the German government's self-imposed goal of strengthening Germany as a gaming location and creating fair competition," says game CEO Felix Falk.