Bavaria's Digital Minister Fabian Mehring © Andreas Gebert Campus Mehring: World-Class Research and Development At the opening of the Summer Expo 2024 at the Julius-Maximilians University in Würzburg, Bavaria's Digital Minister gave a positive review of the XR Hubs in Würzburg and Nuremberg, which were initiated and funded by his ministry. They would help secure Bavaria's competitiveness in the future. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Reichstagsgebäude in Berlin © Deutscher Bundestag / Felix Zahn / photothek Business Federal Games Funding to Remain at €50m in 2025, Criticism Grows The German government's draft budget for 2025 still allocates around 50 million Euros in funding for games. Other measures to strengthen the industry are missing. The game association criticises the draft budget and calls for tax breaks. The draft budget of the Federal Government, which was approved by By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck at gamescom 2023 © Koelnmesse GmbH, Uwe Weiser Business Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck to Open Gamescom Again Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck will open this year's gamescom, as he did last year. This has been announced by the organisers of gamescom and Koelnmesse. Once again this year, a high-ranking visitor from Berlin is travelling to the opening of gamescom. As the By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Robert Habeck, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK). © Dominik Butzmann / GamesMarkt Business Federal Ministry Dissolves Independent Games Division and Integrates It Into Cross-Departmental Unit The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection is to abolish the independent Games Department. The unit will be integrated into the new department "Cultural and Creative Industries; Games". The game Association has strongly criticised this decision. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
The cultural and creative industries and their segments © BMKW Business Government Plans to Realign Federal Competence Centre for CCI Sectors The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action has re-tendered the federal government's Competence Centre for the Cultural and Creative Industries. The intention is to continue the centre's operations after 2024 and to initiate a strategic realignment. The plans for reorientation can be seen in By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Christoph Kern (left) and Dr. Fabian Mehring © Martina Bogdahn/Fabian Frühwirth/BFV, StMD Esports Bavaria to Fund BFV Football Esports Tournament with 450,000 Euro Shortly before the start of the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, the Bavarian Ministry for Digital Affairs is also supporting an esports tournament planned by the Bavarian Football Association. In addition to the tournament, a roadshow is planned that will also focus on esports and gaming in traditional sports clubs. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Managing Director Felix Falk (left) and Chairman of the Board Lars Janssen (right) with Michael Kellner © Franziska Krug for game Business Much Support From Politicians, But No Breakthrough in Funding Around 500 guests, including numerous representatives from the world of politics, attended yesterday's summer party of the game industry association at the Zollpackhof in Berlin, with a direct view of the Chancellery. Despite the positive response, the industry is still waiting for a breakthrough in the future of By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection has initiated a dialogue on the further development of games funding with its own key points. The federal states have now submitted their coordinated response. © Steininger Business German States' Statement Raises Hopes for Quick Agreement Following the initial individual reactions, the German federal states have now coordinated a joint statement. The requested improvements do not appear to be excessive and a compromise is within reach. A further development towards a tax credit system is also not off the table. After the Federal Ministry of Economics By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Franziska Giffey, Berlin's Senator for Economics, meets regularly with representatives of the Berlin games industry at the "Runder Tisch Games" (Round Table Games) © SPD-Fraktion Berlin/Sabrina Wagner Berlin Business Berlin Expands gamescapital.berlin Initiative to Location Marketing Campaign The current 'Runder Tisch Games' in Berlin focused on increasing the visibility of the games location in the capital region as well as the flagship project 'House of Games'. Economics Senator Francesca Giffey also criticised the federal government and called for improvements in funding. In Berlin, By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
The board of Bremens eSports (from left): Sascha Müller, Christoph Lüken, Philipp van Gels, Frank Holler, Alessandro Bünnagel and Luca Müller © Bremen eSports Esports Bremen Also Supports Local Esports Club With €20.000 Each Year Like Dortmund, Bremen also supports the local esports club Bremen eSports with 20,000 euros per year. This indirectly increases the pressure on Berlin to support esports not only at the municipal but also at the federal level, as promised. Even though esports was not the focus of the joint By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Bavarian Digital Minister Fabian Mehring increased the budget for the Games/Bavaria team at Medien.Bayern with Managing Director Lina Timm (2nd from right) at the beginning of the year © Games/Bavaria/Archive picture Business Games/Bavaria Launches its own Accelerator Programme Bavarian game developers have until the end of May to apply for the first round of Games/Bavaria's new Level Up accelerator programme. The programme offers workshops, targeted coaching and free co-working space. The patron of Games/Bavaria's new Level Up accelerator programme is the Bavarian By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Bavarian Digital Minister Dr Fabian Mehring © Games/Bavaria Business Mehring: "The Federal Government's Funding Chaos is Threatening Germany as a Games Location" Bavaria's Digital Minister Dr Fabian Mehring has sent an open letter to Claudia Roth, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, regarding the promotion of games in Germany. He criticizes the stagnation of federal funding and the fact that no concept has yet been developed. Once By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
