Digital Development Fund Application Approval for Boomrider Studios

Date of decision / Dyddiad y penderfyniad:

03 May 2012

Statement of information / Datganiad gwybodaeth:

The Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science has been asked to approve an application for the Digital Development Fund from a new games development company who will be based in Cardiff to the value of £25,000.

The funding will be used by the company to develop a PC based platform game for download which would also be able to be ‘ported’ onto mobile devices. The IP for the product will be retained in Wales and will create 3 new permanent positions as soon as the project starts. It is expected to create a further 4 jobs by project completion.

An offer of support does not mean that any particular project will start, nor is it guaranteed that a company will accept any offer of assistance.  Individual details of grant offers are considered to be provided by both parties on a ‘without prejudice’ basis until the grant is accepted.  

The legal basis for the project is section 1 of the Welsh Development Agency Act 1975 (as amended), in conjunction with sections 60, 70 and 71 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Section 60 (1) of the 2006 Act provides that the Ministers may do anything they consider appropriate to promote the economic, social or environmental well-being of Wales and subsection (4) states that the power includes power to enter into arrangements or agreements or to co-operate with any person.

Sections 70 and 71 of the 2006 Act empower Welsh Ministers to provide financial assistance (whether by way of grant, loan or guarantee) to any person engaged in any activity which the Ministers consider will “secure, or help to secure, the attainment of any objectives which they aim to attain in the exercise of any of their functions.  Section 71 is a supplementary power to do anything calculated to promote or is incidental to the exercise of any of the Ministers’ other functions.