Introversion Software & EU MEDIA-støtte

[Anders Højsted]

MD Mark Morris fra Introversion Software snakker om deres udvikling, offentlige støttemidler og ændringen i EUs MEDIA-støtte: Evolution of an Indie

There was talk recently about the EU media grant, which is something that's been around for a long time - they match funding, and it's something that's really designed for making films. So you'll have a EUR 100,000 project - you'll find EUR 50,000 for and the EU team will match it with another EUR 50,000.

Now, they've exclusively said that this time around, interactive projects will only be funded if they're supporting an audio-visual component, so they've cut out the mainstream games industry completely from this grant programme. The games that they're talking about now are the Flash things that the BBC or Channel 4 put out to support their programmes.

I think that's very interesting, that the EU has taken this stance to draw an absolute line and say that games aren't going to be applicable to this grant scheme. I wonder if - and I hope that - it's because they're developing a programme in the background that's going to be more amenable to supporting videogame development across the EU?

Så det er ikke kun i DK at ændringen er blevet bemærket.

A.

[lissajous]

I'm sorry Anders, but I still fail to see what the problem is. MEDIA has (in my understanding, at least) always been an audiovisual-centric fund. It's only natural that they want to tie in any funding in our industry to their core business, as it were.

Considering that there are a multitude of other games-focused initiatives around (spilzonen, Nordic Game, to name just two) then to berate an EU initiative that has been going for 16 years for clarifying it's position on a comparatively new media such as ours just doesn't hold water.

There are plenty of opportunities for producing and collaborating on cross-media offerings. We just need to be a little more innovative in our thinking, and a little more cooperative outside our "cozy little bubble" - on both sides!

At the very least, *knowing* what the success criterion are for an application to a fund enables a developer to make a sound judgement as to whether or not to invest the time and energy into the (normally quite lengthy) procedures for an application.

[Anders Højsted]

I'm sorry Anders, but I still fail to see what the problem is. MEDIA has (in my understanding, at least) always been an audiovisual-centric fund. It's only natural that they want to tie in any funding in our industry to their core business, as it were.

Well, their core business is to support european media to avoid complete US dominance in media, - almost any media. Including games.

Considering that there are a multitude of other games-focused initiatives around (spilzonen, Nordic Game, to name just two) then to berate an EU initiative that has been going for 16 years for clarifying it's position on a comparatively new media such as ours just doesn't hold water.

Their position has always been very clear. They haven't clarified it (it wasn't unclear); - they've altered it. Media have been supporting gamecompanies for a long time under the "multimedia"-grant. Now they've tied games in with movies, but not the other way round. Games have to do crossmedia, but apparently movies don't. Imagine the outcry if the moviemakers in Europe was forced to tie in with games to get money.

There are plenty of opportunities for producing and collaborating on cross-media offerings. We just need to be a little more innovative in our thinking, and a little more cooperative outside our "cozy little bubble" - on both sides!

Indeed and I'm a massive fan of cross-media projects, - from an commercial as well as artistic POW. But I can't see why Media is the right organisation to force this upon the gamesindustry, - and even if they are, why only for games?

At the very least, *knowing* what the success criterion are for an application to a fund enables a developer to make a sound judgement as to whether or not to invest the time and energy into the (normally quite lengthy) procedures for an application.

Off course. But this isn't something implicit. The explicit rules for applying have been changed. For the benefit of movies and detrimental to the games industry.

Making the right application and getting the money is still fairly easy, - I object more to the treatment that games (still) are getting compared to movies. We now have to use ressources on finding partners for the movie-tie-in.

I'd like to hear the justification for this change.

A.