Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer used the start of the gamescom 2020 to give a long awaited update about the funding for games by the Federal Government. As the funding was limited until now to 200.000 Euro per game, developers can apply for a much bigger fundings starting from the 28th of September. This means that up to 50% of the costs could be funded by the government. In difference to the money from the states, the funding from the Federal Government could be seen as a grant, which does not have to be paid back.
The Bundestag had planned 50 million Euro per year for this funding until 2023. The money should help the whole gaming industry to compete with international productions and to raise the German industry to the next level. Minister Scheuer said that the first projects would be greenlighted until the end of this year.
Felix Falk, Managing Director of the GAME – The German Games Industry Association, named this the “starting shot for the race to catch up” and that this is a great possibility for Germany as a location to compete with other gaming companies worldwide.
Information about the application can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (in German).