Qld offers incentives for digital games industry

The Queensland Government will offer incentives targeting the digital games industry in an effort to create more local jobs. The widened Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects incentives now include digital games alongside filmmakers doing post-production and post-visual effects in the state.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new 15% rebate for games projects is aimed at driving more local, interstate and international games developers and studios to bring their business to Queensland.

“My government’s Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) incentive is the most competitive on Australia’s eastern seaboard and is already a success, drawing screen productions here which create jobs for hundreds of our state’s screen experts,” the Premier said.

“By adding this new games incentive, local and international studios will be further motivated to outsource the creation of valuable game titles to Queensland, while our own locally based developers will be supported to create original games content right here.

“My government has also moved to lower the threshold on access to the PDV and games incentive from $500,000 to $250,000, a substantial boost to local post-production businesses pitching for a broad range of projects.

“We are also proud to announce that in 2022 Screen Queensland will launch a PDV placements program offering paid positions for newly qualified screen practitioners to work in the state’s burgeoning post-production sector.”

The Premier also announced support for another seven productions through the PDV incentive.

“All up, these new projects will create more than 250 new jobs for Queensland’s talented screen practitioners working in post-production,” Palaszczuk said.

“This incentive is part of my government’s strategy to cement Queensland’s reputation as a post-production and digital powerhouse, creating more screen jobs and supporting the state’s economic recovery.”

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that Queensland is home to leading-edge post- production, digital and visual effects companies, as well as award-winning games companies.

“Screen Queensland supported Brisbane-based games studio Witch Beam to create Unpacking, which this month won Game of the Year and an award for Excellence in Accessibility, plus it was wonderful to see Gameloft Brisbane, with whom we have collaborated to offer mentorships and placements, win the award for Excellence in Mobile Games for The Oregon Trail,” Munnich said.

“The widening of the PDV incentive will be welcome news to our local games sector, which we support through our Screen Finance and Market programs as well as mentorships, workshops and our SQhub, our subsidised co-working space ideally suited to games developers and start-up studios.

“Across the state, we have a growing base of talented specialists and studio facilities in the post-production, visual effects, animation and games space, and supporting this continued growth, particularly during this recently prolific time for the screen industry, is exactly what this incentive was devised to do.”

Screen Queensland’s PDV games incentive will be offered from 2022 following industry consultation.

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