Gaming Companies Lured to Savannah

Lauren Nardella - Savannah Morning News

Video game development is a hot and growing field right now. And thanks to tax breaks and a free rent incentive, companies in that industry might find a new home in Savannah.

The Creative Coast Alliance and the Savannah Economic Development Authority are working together to attract game development companies by offering up to one year of free rent in their building on Hutchinson Island.

"One of the things we had to offer is space," said Brynn Grant, executive director of the Creative Coast.

A 10,000-square-foot Game Development and Digital Media Center on the first floor of the SEDA building is almost complete and ready for occupancy.

The free rent is only for a limited time. It will be for qualified projects only and will be evaluated on a case by case basis, Grant said.

"If you're a start-up, this takes an expense out of the loop. ... Financially, it's a really sound decision," said Brenda Brathwaite, game designer and chair of the Interactive Design and Game Development department at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

And with a favorable quality of life and a reasonable cost of living, it makes sense for companies to move here.

The deep talent pool from SCAD and the Savannah campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology will also be a draw for game development companies.

"We recognized the role that SCAD has played and can play in economic development," Grant said. "There are so many projects that are directly related to the fact that SCAD is here."

SCAD students would also benefit from potential internships and job opportunities, according to Brathwaite, who is also a board member of the International Game Developers Association.

Savannah would benefit from keeping those students in the area and creating new jobs. A small development company might employ between 40 and 70 people who would conservatively earn $50,000 a year, Brathwaite said.

The room available could accommodate a number of companies and many employees depending on the amount of space they need, according to Grant.

SEDA and the Creative Coast have never offered incentives like this before. "It's kind of putting our toe in the water," Grant said. Already, it's generated a lot of interest. "A number of really positive, very impressive companies have contacted us," she said.

Grant will be attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week and already has appointments lined up with prospective companies.

The state tax breaks offered could help attract gaming companies as well. They're part of the recently expanded Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act through the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Qualifying game developers or publishers are eligible to receive a 20 percent base tax credit on qualified expenditures within Georgia, such as labor, materials and services, in addition to a 10 percent tax credit if they place a Georgia promotional logo within the video game product.

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