In an attempt to kick-start its own video game industry, Ireland has begun to target a number of high-profile Scottish game development studios, attempting to woo them over to the Emerald Isle by offering a five-year tax holiday. Colin Macdonald, manager of Dundee-based APB developer Realtime Worlds, responded by saying "if the package on offer in Ireland was attractive we'd have to give it serious consideration." Other Scottish developers who could be influenced by the tax holiday include Rockstar North, Denki, Ruffian Games and Dynamo Games.
Macdonald went on to say that Scotland's going to need to do more to preserve its burgeoning gaming industry in light of attractive offers from countries such as Ireland and Canada, who Realtime "lost some of [its] key staff to" in the past few years. We can't help but wonder if this might have had less to do with the strength of Canada's gaming industry, and more to do with the deliciousness of their bacon.
[Via Gamasutra]
Reader Comments (30)
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 8:02AM SmokemeaKipper said
It's not called Canadian Bacon in Canada. We call it Back Bacon. It is still delicious.
Reply
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 9:11AM The Albatross said
@Smoke_me_a_kipper :
Canadian Bacon or Back Bacon, whatever you call it, is gross, when compared to its non-given-named brother, normal bacon. It's just greasy ham!
Reply
Canadian Bacon or Back Bacon, whatever you call it, is gross, when compared to its non-given-named brother, normal bacon. It's just greasy ham!
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 1:15AM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said
Well then damnit if thats the cas Scotland better watch out. If they are losing dev's because of Canadian bacon then I'm absolutely positive Irish whiskey will take the rest...
Reply
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 1:47AM (Unverified) said
A friend of mine less qualified than me applied for a QA job there and got it, ive applied twice and was far more qualified than he was and i was told i didnt get the job, i was rejected a week prior to him getting the job.
Fuck Realtimeworlds!
Reply
Fuck Realtimeworlds!
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 2:05PM Manifest37 said
A big part of getting a job is just being liked by the interviewer.
Maybe you should have worn a water-squirting flower & smashed a creme-filled pie in his face!
I kid, but not being too serious really helps.
Sucks, but people want relaxed yet competent people.
Buy one of those thingys that shocks people when you shake their hand, lol.
Reply
Maybe you should have worn a water-squirting flower & smashed a creme-filled pie in his face!
I kid, but not being too serious really helps.
Sucks, but people want relaxed yet competent people.
Buy one of those thingys that shocks people when you shake their hand, lol.
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 2:22PM (Unverified) said
Well thing is he is the lives in mothers basement playing WOW type, where as I am the funny sociable yet geeky person, which is another thing that bothers me about it!
Reply
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 1:32AM ch3burashka said
I'm still in high school and therefore am relatively inexperienced in terms of politics, government, etc. but I find it disturbing that taxes, seemingly mandatory form of financial support for the government, can be exempt for certain time periods so as to incentivise groups to relocate. Dunno, seems a bit backwards.
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Posted: Sep 29th 2009 3:01AM (Unverified) said
Sadly, that kind of business is common practise in Ireland :s That's probably why we're in such a mess financially
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Posted: Sep 29th 2009 2:27PM Manifest37 said
But that company has employees with families & those people aren't exempt!
They'll eventually buy food, goods, & invest in a home & stuff... There's plenty more to tax.
Government is smarter than the average bear.
Reply
They'll eventually buy food, goods, & invest in a home & stuff... There's plenty more to tax.
Government is smarter than the average bear.
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 5:39PM ch3burashka said
But bears can ride unicycles! I've never heard of the Founding Fathers riding unicycles...
Reply
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 5:34AM DarkGrimoire said
The fact is that Realtime lost most of it's key staff to Ruffian Games (Crackdown 2), a few blocks away. More so than to Canada or any other country.. :D
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Posted: Sep 29th 2009 12:52PM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said
They developed like gaming poets. They developed like Scotsmen...
Reply
Posted: Sep 29th 2009 8:09AM (Unverified) said
why dont they jus give em some lucky charms im sure that would sell it to em
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Posted: Sep 29th 2009 12:33PM CrazyBiscuit said
Also I had never even heard of Lucky Charms until I went to Canada last year. We don't have them.
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Posted: Sep 29th 2009 12:32PM CrazyBiscuit said
@ CH3BURASHKA
I'm Irish, from Dublin and there's been tax breaks for every industry in Ireland since the '70s. It entices foreign investment away from other countries in the European Union and has kept us one of the strongest competitors in Europe with one of the strongest economies.
@SylvyLombax
If keeping our economy strong by supporting business and having one of the highest GDPs in the world is backwards then very well. It is because of our tax laws SylvyLombax that we have been strong ecomomically and I guess you don't remember the Celtic Tiger in the '90s but our ecomomic boom is down to business and attracting business. Its tax laws that attract multi nats, such as pharmaceuticals and computer manufacturing.
Yes we hit a bump last year but so did every country on the planet. We are coming out of recession which is more than most other countries can say.
There was word of a games developer setting up just down the street from me about a month ago, never heard who or anything else though, probably just rumour.
And for the note, nobody calls it the emerald isle and we don't drink whiskey much.
Reply
I'm Irish, from Dublin and there's been tax breaks for every industry in Ireland since the '70s. It entices foreign investment away from other countries in the European Union and has kept us one of the strongest competitors in Europe with one of the strongest economies.
@SylvyLombax
If keeping our economy strong by supporting business and having one of the highest GDPs in the world is backwards then very well. It is because of our tax laws SylvyLombax that we have been strong ecomomically and I guess you don't remember the Celtic Tiger in the '90s but our ecomomic boom is down to business and attracting business. Its tax laws that attract multi nats, such as pharmaceuticals and computer manufacturing.
Yes we hit a bump last year but so did every country on the planet. We are coming out of recession which is more than most other countries can say.
There was word of a games developer setting up just down the street from me about a month ago, never heard who or anything else though, probably just rumour.
And for the note, nobody calls it the emerald isle and we don't drink whiskey much.
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