Udviklingsstøtte

Velkommen til udviklingsstøtte 2010!
I alt 6 millioner kroner (DKK) er blevet bevilliget til udviklingsstøtte til nordiske spilfirmaer i 2010, og midlerne vil blive fordelt over to ansøgningsrunder. Gruppen af sagkyndige har besluttet at ansøgningsfristen for årets anden runde (på 3 millioner DKK) er

24:00 (midnat, dagens afslutning) den 1. oktober 2010

Estimeret tidslinje for årets anden runde 2010:
16. august: Første ansøgningsdag
1. oktober, 24:00 (midnat): Deadline for ansøgninger
4. november: De sakkyndige udvaelger projekterne, de bevilgede projekter meddeles
9. december: Offentliggørelse af projekterne

Download den opdaterede ansøgning for anden runde 2010 (WORD): NCP Udviklingsstøtte-ansøgning 2010:2

Guidelines 2010 (på engelsk):

The following criteria apply regarding project, support amount and payment:

· Guidelines, selection criteria and process will be clearly communicated to applicants
· Maximum support 600 000 Danish crowns and minimum 100 000 Danish crowns
· Support cannot exceed 75% of the project budget
· Only one project per applicant can be funded for 2008, but several applications can be made
· Repayment of support funds can be required if support contract or conditions are violated

Applicants must be:

· Nordic
· Computer game development company
· Independent – not owned by a games publisher or non-Nordic game developer
· Own or control the IP rights to the project
· Can guarantee that the completed project will be released in at least one Nordic language
· Project is not already approved for production, i.e. contracted by a third party
· Development company is financially stable, i.e. not in bankruptcy or liquidity crisis
· Support application has been submitted complete and by the due date

Criteria for Developer Support, in order of importance:

1. Project’s appropriateness for target group, especially concerning age
2. Development company’s and team’s documented experience
3. Importance of development support to project’s launch
4. Project’s innovation
5. Number of Nordic languages the finish game will be released in
6. Project’s artistic ambitions

Expert Group 2010
The following individuals have been chosen by the Nordic Council of Ministers to represent member countries in determining developer support guidelines, as well as approving development grants:

Anne Mette Thorhauge, deputy, DK
Annika Olofsdotter Bergström, member, SE
Erla Bjarney Árnadóttir, member, IS
Eyjólfur Guðmundsson, deputy, IS
Jan Neiiendam, chairman, DK
Kim Arthur Danielsen, deputy, NO
Kunuk Platou, deputy, GL
Mats Adamczak, member, AX
Mika Tammenkoski, member, FI
Miki Jacobsen, member, GL
Ólavur Ellefsen, member, FO
Sam Sundberg, deputy, SE
Sóley Hofgaard, deputy, FO
Suvi Latva, Deputy, FI

INSTRUCTIONS 2010
The application should be submitted in PDF-format, max 5MB total,  that describe the game, as instructed in the application form.

The application should be sent to the e-mail address indicated in the document.
Confirmation of application receipt will typically be made within 24 hours.

Applicants can submit more than one application, but only one application per applicant and round can be approved for 2010.

Common questions regarding the application and/or application process have been incorporated into a FAQ which can be found below.

Applications should be submitted in the one of the working languages of the Nordic Council (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish) or in English.

FAQ
Common questions answered regarding Development Support:

Q: You state that this is “development support”. How does development differ from production? We call ourselves game developers, but we produce games...?

A: The development/production distinction is not fully applicable in the games field, unfortunately. The terms are influenced by film and TV funding, where it is quite obvious when production has started, and development thus has finished: "Lights, camera, action!"

Development, in terms of computer games support, is the work up to the point where production financing can be secured. For a console title, “development” may only mean the first 5% of the entire project. For a mobile game to get into “production,” only localisation and porting often remain to be financed -  the project usually has to be 50 - 90% finished to be considered by a publisher. At the end of  the “development” process a game concept should be realised (playable prototype, “demo”, etc.) to the point necessary to secure the funding needed to finish the project.

This is what you have to argue for regarding your own project and application.

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Q: If game production is eventually funded by a publisher, it is highly unlikely that the developer will retain the IPR (intellectual property rights), especially in the case of multimillion euro budgets. How can we guarantee that we will own the intellectual property?

A: The requirement is that you own the IPR at the time of application. We may consider other constraints in the future, but at this time the most important requirement in relation to a publisher is that they are contractually bound to publish the finished game in the Nordic languages specified in your application. If the publisher does not fulfil this legally binding obligation, then you as recipient of development support financing will be in breach of contract, and may be liable to repay the support funding and even other penalties.

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Q: You ask for our target audience in the development support application, yet prioritise "children and youth" in your own communication. Are projects for 18+ not eligible for support?

A: In the work preceding the development support program, children and young people were defined as up to and including 18 years of age. In terms ofyour application, this means that material for a mature audience is not explicitly excluded, but the emphasis is on those under 18.

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Q: What do you mean by “computer games”? Are handheld or mobile phone games included? Are game stations at lower programming levels also accepted?

A: Any widely available, non-proprietary platform for digital and electronic interactive games is eligible, including mobile phones and Nintendo DS, for example. Specialized, proprietary
platforms, such as electronic toys with or without display screens or other hardware not available to external game developers, are outside the generally accepted definition of computer and video games.

Regarding the term “games”; this means entertainment, not products that are primarily for education, research, information, promotion, or advertisement.

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Q: What you mean by "... no final decision has been made regarding project production"?

Does this mean that there is not anything more than a concept, or that we are still
struggling with finding the right formula, or that we have not achieved full financing?

A: "Not achieved full financing" captures it quite well. One of our main goals is to fund
projects where the developer actually needs our support to realise the project.

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Q: It sounds like you really need to be an established company with a published annual report?

A: No, you do not have to have published an annual report. You do have to be a "company";
a registered business, either a separate legal entity, or the registered business of an individual.

If your application is approved, and it turns out that your company does not exist, there will be
no one to receive the funds. In addition, you will not have been truthful in your application.

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Added 060626:

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Q: During 2006 you plan to fund game development with 2 million Danish crowns (DKK), with a maximum grant of 600.000 DKK.

If one requests 600.000 DKK, is its possible to receive only 400.000 DKK - for example if the larger sum has already been granted? Or is the application amount in its entirety either accepted or rejected?

A:

The expert group has decided that it is is possible for an applicant to receive a grant that is lower than the sum requested in the application.

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Q: I have some very basic before I submit an application:

I never developed a game before - though our team has some game experience.

I have an "enskild firma" (Swedish for "private firm"). The economy of the "private firm" is very limited. The only money in the "private firm" today is the game, which we've also received some grants for.

The game is meant to be available for free on the internet. Its experimental, and the main target group is kids between 15-19, although we are also targeting adults.

Can I apply?

A:

Given that your business idea seems to be making games to give away for free, and financed in part through public grants, it is not certain that you qualify as as a professional game developer. Free games made to be paid for by advertisers is also quite doubtful.

However, our expert group that reviews all applications and makes the funding decisions may take another view. You should probably rethink you business model, but also apply.