Mehring Wants to Fight Like a Lion for the Bavarian Games Industry

In his speech at the FFF Bayern's DCP warm-up, Bavaria's Digital Minister Dr Fabian Mehring only expressly praised some of the key points for future federal funding presented by the federal government, but announced resolute resistance in the upcoming negotiations on other points, such as cumulation.

Partly due to the presence of staff from the Federal Ministry of Economics, it was clear that Bavaria's Digital Minister used the stage at the FFF Bayern's warm-up for the DCP to comment on the announced key points of the improvement of the federal funding. Fortunately, Dr Fabian Mehring was by no means entirely confrontational. He expressly welcomed the fact that the government had now put proposals on the table, and that the state secretary responsible (Michael Kellner) had also added that Berlin now wants to discuss them together with the federal states. "This is the only way forward in politics, in digitalisation and in the promotion of games," said Mehring.

However, even though Mehring sees some of the points as steps in the right direction, the Bavarian Digital Minister said that the upcoming negotiations will not be a sure-fire success: "We will provide a tailwind where it seems sensible to us, but we will do it, and I will personally throw myself like a lion in front of the Bavarian games industry, where I believe that what has been announced by the federal government is nonsense. I promise you that," Mehring told the guests at the FFF reception, most of whom were Bavarian developers and publishers.

He was specific on a number of points: For example, he said that the considerations regarding tax breaks were sensible and necessary in order to survive in international competition. However, it is not acceptable for the federal government to promise tax breaks and for the states to end up paying for them. This is where Mehring sees a need for discussion when it comes to implementation. Mehring does not agree at all with the issue of cumulation, i.e. the possibility of collecting money from different funding pots for one and the same project. This has been possible up to now, but is being questioned by the federal government. Mehring described it as a "historic mistake" if Germany ends up in a situation where the federal government goes it alone when it comes to funding and it is not possible to pool the pots in the federal states. Last but not least, things got a bit political. Mehring also criticised the idea of including soft criteria in the calls for proposals, which would, for example, provide better support for sustainable projects. "I will not accept an ideology-driven approach to funding from Bavaria. The games industry is a creative industry. And you are the creative ones," Mehring told the industry representatives. "We are supporting an industry, and creativity is at home in the industry, not at the green tables of the federal government." Mehring belongs to the Freie Wähler (Free Voters) party, which governs in Bavaria with the CSU, which is in opposition at federal level.