The NSW Government is offering a 10 per cent rebate for eligible digital games. Games must have a Qualifying NSW Expenditure of at least $500,000 to be eligible. This initiative complements the Australian Government’s Digital Games Offset. It is administered by Screen NSW.
The objectives of the program are to:
Anna Cho
Manager Strategy, PDV and Digital Games
[email protected]
To be eligible for the Rebate the applicant must:
The applicant may be:
Only one company can apply for the Rebate for a particular game. If more than one NSW developer is working on the project, the company commissioning the work will generally make the application.
Other government departments and agencies are not eligible to apply.
The applicant must not be in breach of any obligation under any funding agreement it has with the NSW Government including under this Rebate program.
Eligible games for the Rebate include:
Games must generally be intended for public release.
A major update of an existing game is eligible if it meets the $500,000 threshold.
An applicant must submit an application with Screen NSW prior to the commencement of any eligible work for which the Rebate is sought. If production has already commenced on the project, only work carried out on or after the date of application will be eligible for the Rebate.
An eligible project must commit at the time of application to qualifying expenditure of at least AU$500,000 on the project in NSW. The spend may occur over several years. Multiple projects cannot be bundled to achieve the AU$500,000 threshold.
A project that does not meet the minimum qualifying NSW expenditure threshold of AU$500,000 at the time of acquittal will not qualify for any of the Rebate.
(If contracts are issued in foreign currencies the applicable exchange rate for determining whether the threshold has been met will be the exchange rate for the day on which PDV activity commenced on the project in NSW.)
Ineligible games include but are not limited to:
Qualifying NSW games expenditure must be on activities carried out in NSW related to production of the launch version of the game. The pre-development stage, being activities that are usually undertaken with the aim of determining whether a digital game is commercially feasible, is excluded.
The following expenditures qualify for the Rebate:
The following expenditure is specifically excluded:
Where production of the game commenced prior to 1 October 2021, eligible expenditure that occurs after 1 October 2021 is eligible provided that it meets the minimum threshold of $500,000.
The expenditure must be incurred by the applicant. Transactions with interested or related parties must be on an arms-length basis.
The Rebate is discretionary, subject to availability of Rebate funds, the track record of the applicant and team and the extent to which the project furthers the objectives of the fund.
Applicants are required to complete an application form and submit requested information, which will include the games development budget for NSW, quotes from NSW suppliers and evidence the project is fully financed or can be financed using projected future revenue streams.
You should apply when the game is production-ready, with confirmed budget, schedule and funding arrangement (e.g. agreement with publisher) or realistic projections of future revenue that ensure the game can be developed to completion.
The Rebate is discretionary, subject to availability of Rebate funds, the track record of the applicant and team and the extent to which the project furthers the objectives of the program.
Assessments are made by the Manager Strategy, PDV & Digital Games based on the application meeting program guidelines and objectives, with approval from the Head of Screen.
We endeavour to notify applicants on the outcome of their application within 6-8 weeks, subject to all required information being provided.
After an assessment of eligibility, Screen NSW will provide a Letter of Offer based on the information and projected expenditure presented in the application.
The Letter of Offer will set out the qualifying NSW expenditure amount that the applicant will be required to substantiate at acquittal, subject to the permitted variation.
The NSW Government reserves the right to make a public announcement for any project which receives the Rebate. Any public announcement will be made in consultation with the applicant.
If the qualifying NSW expenditure advised at the time of application varies by more than 10% or $5 million, the applicant must request a variation to the Letter of Offer. Requests should be made in writing to Screen NSW within 15 business days of the change. Variation requests will be subject to availability of Rebate funds.
Where the final qualifying NSW expenditure is less than the amount advised at application, pro-rata payments will only be processed if the minimum NSW spend threshold of AU$500,000 has been achieved.
Reporting requirements will be set out in full in the Letter of Offer and will include:
Each applicant must participate in any reasonable survey or feedback requests made by Screen NSW, both during the application phase and up to two years following acquittal.
When the applicant is not the games company the applicant must include the reporting obligations contained in this clause in its contract with each NSW games supplier it engages for the project.
Applicants must specify anticipated dates for commencement and completion of qualifying games development work and final claim in their application. The qualifying game development related activities need to commence within three months of the nominated start date unless otherwise agreed in writing with Screen NSW. Claims should be made within six months of project completion, unless otherwise agreed.
All claims must be made within three years of a Letter of Offer. For projects with a production duration of more than three years, applicants must contact Screen NSW at least six months before the three-year deadline to discuss.
Applicants must provide a copy of or access to the completed project and all delivery items specified in the Letter of Offer. Delivery items will include a link to the launch version of the game and agreed marketing material. Delivery items will be used by the NSW Government to promote the State’s digital games industry. The NSW Government may publish the title and brief description of the project.
Screen NSW will process a Rebate final claim within six months of receiving an acquittal that is fully compliant with the project’s registration, inclusive of all required delivery items. Milestone payments may be agreed on a case-by-case basis.
The State must receive the following end credit in the version of the project intended for release: DEVELOPED IN [city] NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT and include the NSW Government logo. Suitable placement of the credit will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.