For the French government, support for video games in France and in Europe is part of a strategy of technological sovereignty, while metaverses are looming.
The situation is unblocked. This Thursday morning, the Secretary of State for Digital Cédric O announced that the reform of the video game tax credit, expected for several months by the industry, will take place. The French government will notify the European Commission in the coming days, the device to be approved every five years by Brussels. The video game sector will also benefit from the France 2030 plan, announced the Secretary of State.
“One should not despise a sector on the pretext that it is futile. We are in an international competition for technological mastery“, pointed out Cédric O during a round table organized by the SELL and the SNJV at the National Assembly. The Secretary of State referred to the construction of the metaverses, which will largely rely on the tools of the video game.
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For the video game tax credit, “we will implement what has been approved by the working groupcomposed of the CNC, the Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE), and sector lobbies, the SELL and the SNJV, continued the Secretary of State. The eligibility criteria for this tax system, which allows you to benefit from a 30% tax credit on eligible expenses up to a limit of 6 million euros, will be broadened.
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The projects submitted for examination must in fact meet cultural and artistic criteria, which have until now focused on the presence of a strong narrative framework and European historical or cultural heritage. The reform plans to open up the system to original creations, and to reduce the weight given to narration in favor of artistic direction, musical creation, etc. This will benefit more productions, especially in mobile and indie gaming.
Sovereignty and soft power
Cédric O stressed that supporting the video game industry was a question of technological sovereignty, but also of “soft-power“. “See the impact that a game like Assassin’s Creed can have on the reading of history among younger generations. It would be a problem if such a game had been designed and designed by a Chinese company“, he points.
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The industry is in the midst of consolidation, with takeovers and equity investments galore for more than a year. “The strategies of certain large countries are not without ulterior motives on the diffusion of a certain vision of the world“, emphasizes the Secretary of State.
As for Microsoft’s takeover of Activision-Blizzard for $69 billion,we must see the will of technological mastery of the metaverse.” Gold, “France and Europe must play the metaverse game. And it takes another look at the video game.» «Video games are a strategic asset, and we want to bring this subject to the European level“, added the Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot.
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