We at Binary Impact were proud to present our simulation game Parking World at this year’s Play! in Trier, the largest gaming convention in Rhineland-Palatinate. This unique event in the state offers us and other developer studios an important platform to put the Rhineland-Palatinate games scene in the spotlight and to network with other creatives and industry representatives. In addition to presenting Parking World, we were also part of a panel on the main stage where key topics and challenges facing our industry were discussed.
The panel discussion, in which Jens Wiechering, Max Herz (The Gaming Van), Kai Moosmann (Mirebound Interactive) and Verena Schmidt (Medienförderung Rheinland-Pfalz) took part and which was moderated by Michael “Ryorg” Brück, focused on the future of Rhineland-Palatinate as a location and the challenges for developer studios in the region. With its high quality of life and attractive cost of living, Rhineland-Palatinate offers an exciting basis for the games industry. Rural areas in particular attract returnees and family founders, which enriches the start-up scene and increases the potential for innovative projects. One focus of the panel was access to federal funding for game developers and the hurdles that exist for smaller studios in particular. The fixed minimum project size of 300,000 euros, which is a prerequisite for funding, represents an almost insurmountable barrier for many studios. We see a gap here that urgently needs to be closed so that smaller studios can also receive the support they need to remain competitive and realize their ideas. In our view, funding for smaller projects would be crucial in order to strengthen the growth and innovative power of the Rhineland-Palatinate games industry in the long term. Play! gave us and other studios the opportunity to openly discuss these challenges and jointly highlight the strengths of Rhineland-Palatinate as a location. By exchanging ideas with other developers, the Rhineland-Palatinate Media Fund and other industry players, we hope that the games industry can continue to develop here and that Rhineland-Palatinate will be increasingly recognized as a vibrant location for creativity and innovation in the gaming industry.