FFF-DCP warmup: “You can rely on Bavaria”

At the invitation of the FFF Bayern, the industry got in the mood for the German Computer Game Prize 2024 via a 'warm-up'.

Home game for Bavaria's Digital Minister Fabian Mehring (Free Voters): His department is one of the hosts for the German Computer Game Prize (DCP), which will be awarded this Thursday in Munich.

Two of the three nominees in the 'Studio of the Year' category come from the Free State: Aesir Interactive (Police Simulator) based in Munich and the Nuremberg developer Pixel Maniacs are hoping for a trophy and a winner's check – as is IroxGames UG from Garching near Munich, which is with EcoGnomix in the junior discipline 'Best Prototype'. In this case, the nomination is already worth €25,000 – ideally it will become €50,000.

The founders of these three Bavarian studios were among the guests of the Film FernsehenFonds Bayern (FFF) on Wednesday evening, which invited the industry to a 'warm-up'. In her welcome, FFF managing director Dorothee Erpenstein referred to the 15-year tradition of Bavarian games funding, which has supported successful medium-sized companies like Aesir Interactive from the start. Since 2009, the games developers have been funded with almost €22 million.

Digital Minister Mehring wants to build on this and promised “to be thrown like a lion in front of the Bavarian games industry”. This particularly applies to the plans announced yesterday by Habeck's Ministry of Economic Affairs, which wants to restructure the funding structures from 2025. Mehring considers the key points “Liquor ideas” and refers to it as “historical mistake”that studios are no longer allowed to combine federal and state subsidies. You will now “talk very intensely” must. With regard to the lack of federal funding, Mehring stated: “You can rely on Bavaria.”

According to him, the plans for a Bavarian 'House of Games' are on the home stretch – and the Digital Ministry will also do one thing or another for the upcoming European Football Championship (which will be held in Munich, among other places). “exclamation point” set.

In addition to Fabian Mehring, other political heavyweights have confirmed their participation in the computer game awards gala, including Prime Minister Markus Söder (CDU) and Michael Kellner (Greens), Parliamentary State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. You can find all information about the German Computer Game Award at GamesWirtschaft – nominees, jury, moderators and laudators as well as answers to pressing questions.