The question of whether or not the UK’s game development industry would benefit from tax breaks has been rumbling on for several years. The UK government signalled their intent to offer tax incentives to developers that are making games that hit certain cultural criteria and although the European Commission was initially sceptical on the need for tax breaks in the industry, it has now agreed.
It’s thought that the scheme will benefit around 25 per cent of the games produced in the UK. That’s because simply being a game developer isn’t enough to make your project eligible – you have to show that your game is “culturally British” to qualify.
Joaqin Almunia, commission’s vice president in charge of competition policy said “The proposed aid for video games is indeed focusing on a small number of distinctive, culturally British games which have increasing difficulties to find private financing.”
I’m not sure what “culturally British” means, myself but hopefully that ambiguity can be exploited by the many creative talents that live and work in the UK games industry.
Source: MCV
Kitch
Tube Strike!
You have 25 minutes to get to work but the work-shy bastards have called an instant walk out. Join our hero as he runs for the bus or Boris bike.
Sounds like a good idea to give the industry a bit of support.
Kennykazey
Next GTA set in London, confirmed!
gazzagb
I hope that’s true, but it’s not as if Rockstar are short of cash after GTA V’s success!
Yorozuya
meh GTA: Scotland sounds more appealing.
MrYd
You might think that after announcing it and then spending years pissing about trying to work out if they were allowed to do it or not, they might have had enough time to work out what qualifies as a British game.
But apparently not. As far as I can tell, there’s just some vague list of things that have to be satisfied in some way, but it’s not final.
The game has to be set in the UK (or another European country). I’m sure that months ago they also included places that aren’t real countries. So you could set your game in the UK, or France, or the moon, or another planet, and that might still count. (Subject to complicated point system, possibly)
It also needs to be in English, or some other “minority language”. Which presumably means Welsh. ;)
Then there’s the work being done here (or other countries in Europe) and where the lead developers live.
Apart from getting some points for the wonderfully vague “promotion, development or enhancement of British culture” (whatever that means), it does kind of appear that UK actually means “all of Europe” too. And possibly other planets or imaginary places.
Spence1115
“It also needs to be in English, or some other “minority language”. Which presumably means Welsh. ;)”
I assume that means Ni No Kuni qualifies?
Also, could have one with Celtic. Maybe just have the sound of BBC Alba in the background at some point.
MrYd
Oh, knickers. You’ve found the flaw in their plan.
Although technically, Mr Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies, doesn’t actually speak Welsh. Just has a Welsh accent.
Does that count?
Also, it’s set in Another World. So that’s not the UK, or Europe. But from what I’ve read, that doesn’t disqualify it. You’d have to have a game set in the US or Japan or some other real place to not count.
I think there’d be more of a case for the next GTA game qualifying. Even if it’s set in some “fictional” US city again.
bunimomike
Games like Thief (and definitely 1886) utterly smack of the UK so it’d be no great leap to see how a studio could embrace such parameters.
Fingers crossed, we’ll see something more than a few little indie games embracing the culture. As much as I like the industry, I can’t help feel that it’s still shockingly North American-centric and yearn for more diversity.
yiddo
Most media forms are North America centric to be honest. Films, TV series, games etc. Things need to be more diverse in general.
That reminds me, rather off topic, but Game of Thrones is back in just over a week. A good, heavily British TV series :P
bunimomike
Oh, agreed, fella. I could see the problem across the full entertainment gamut. Such a shame when you think the USA’s own history is but a spring chicken compared to the breadth and depth of anywhere else in the world (give or take a pinch).
Personally, I’d like to see an action-adventure set in Egyptian times. The history, art-style and feel of the game would be terrific! No very British, I know, but still. More diversity, please!
heedbaw
The full list of qualifications http://archive.is/KUmFw. It’s bonkers e.g Need 16 points to qaulify and you get 1 point if the artist is British, or the lead artist if there’s more than one.
Link is archive to Conservative website so you don’t need to actually give them hits.
MrYd
That’s the thing I’d seen. And it’s a bit weird in places.
You need 16 out of a possible 31 points.
Games might be translated into many languages, especially in Europe. Having your dialogue in English (or Welsh or whatever ;) gets you up to 4 points. Having less than 25% in English means no points. So English and 4 other languages (which could easily happen) means no points.
Set your game on another planet? You’ve lost 4 more points for a non-British story. And 1 point for being in an “undetermined location” instead of the UK.
Have half a dozen “lead” people being foreign, but have all the real work done by 200 people in the UK? That’s another 6 points gone.
One wrong move now, and you fail to reach the 16 point target. Those 4 “promoting, developing or enhancing British culture” points, probably. Because what does that even mean?
Of course, maybe that’s the whole point? It’s supposed to be hard to get those magic points. Couldn’t have the government giving money away. Not to the wrong companies anyway.
What are the chances of the huge expensive games managing to qualify for it? The next GTA with a £100m+ budget? Probably worthwhile fiddling things to save money.