On December 11, the European Commission gave the green light to the reform of the video game tax credit, voted for by French parliamentarians in December 2013, after fruitful collaboration between public authorities and players in the sector.
Jean-Claude Ghinozzi, President of the Union of Leisure Software Publishers (SELL) welcomes this decision, awaited by all professionals in the sector, but also more generally by all stakeholders and public actors interested in this issue . This tax credit reform, which highlights the importance of the video game industry in France, is the culmination of two years of work, led by the interministerial group on video games and initiated by SELL and the National Video Games Union (SNJV).
This new tax credit will make it possible to support numerous ambitious and innovative projects that would not have been possible without it. It will also contribute to strengthening the attractiveness of France, in a sector where its know-how no longer needs to be demonstrated and where the excellence of its talents is recognized throughout the world. Faced with heightened international competition, this new system will allow France to preserve its place as a major player in an innovative, creative sector popular with the French. Video games are in fact today an essential sector of the French economy. The second largest leisure industry in France, video games affect more than half of the French population, both women and men, and young and old alike.
The reform of the video game tax credit lowers the eligibility threshold for productions to €10,000, broadens the base of expenses taken into account in the calculation of the tax credit, makes certain cultural games intended for an adult audience and extend the maximum time limits for definitive approval of the games. These various measures will allow the video game tax credit to better meet the needs of video game publishers and creators. This will have positive repercussions, not only for video games, but well beyond. With the creation of numerous jobs, the development of new activities and the growth of the sector, this tax credit will result in tax revenues for the State well in excess of its initial investment, thus creating a virtuous circle for video game players. , but also for the State.
Jean-Claude Ghinozzi declares “We would like to thank the Ministries of Finance and Public Accounts, Economy, Industry and Digital, Culture and Communication as well as the State Secretariat for Digital for their involvement and their desire to move forward on this issue. The SELL would also like to salute the work of the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) and the general management of companies, as well as all the parliamentarians who were involved in the subject and made this decision possible. “.
The SELL nevertheless wishes to point out that this is only a first step, which cannot be sufficient on its own. It is therefore necessary to continue working to strengthen the financing capacities of players in the sector, attract foreign projects, retain talents trained in France and support the development of new uses and new practices of video games.
