When and where:

Day: Tuesday 7 February 2012

Time: 14 - 17

Place: Filmhuset and Bio Victor

Address: Borgvägen 1, Stockholm, Karlaplan subway

To register interest: Contact Aki Nyman (aki.nyman@statensmedierad.se) by 2 February

(attendance is free and all interested parties are welcome)

See the full program here.

The event will be held on the evening of the 17th of February with a soon to be revealed location.

Nominate the person(s) you believe has over the past twelve months earned the chance to win this prestigious award. '

Nominations close on the 6th of February.

Voting commences on the 8th of February.

Voting will be done at Nordic Game Stockholm.

It is because of different interpretations of the EU VAT rules that double the double taxation situation arose. In a parliamentary debate last week, finance minister Anders Borg made reference to ongoing negotiations with the EU VAT Committee, but promised a "relatively speedy resolution." It is whilst awaiting clear guidelines from the EU that the Swedish Tax Agency has now decided to act and refrain from demanding double tax from Swedish app developers. The Swedish Games Industry together with others had previously criticized the government for sacrificing Swedish companies while EU member states have failed to reach an agreement, but this means that such a situation has been avoided.

Swedish Tax Agency statement (Swedish)

"For almost two decades it had been predicted that digital distribution would overtake traditional boxed sales and only now does it look like that shift is happening. Even if approximately 85% of sales still occurs via physical channels, for the first time since we began compiling this dats, that figure is starting to drop. The transformation from games as a product to games as a service seems to be here," says Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for the Swedish Games Industry.

The report is based on a compilation of annual reports for companies operating in game development. The Game Developer Index 2010 comprises of 106 companies. Since the compilation only includes limited companies, there is some loss of business, such as those which are registered as partnership or sole proprietorships.

Games rated via PEGI Express will display the familiar age rating icons that video games on consoles and PC are already using, so consumers can easily recognize and understand the ratings. PEGI Express is not a different rating system - it uses the same criteria as ratings for console games and verification will be handled by PEGI administrator NICAM - but it is a new process built specifically to deal with the surge of mobile games.

Developers will be able to access the PEGI Express tool directly through the Windows Phone platform as an integral part of the app submission process. Submitting a game requires a very short time: games with barely or no content that can be inappropriate for children of a certain age are classed at once. Only as the amount and diversity of potentially inappropriate content increases, more questions need to be answered.

The move has been applauded by Microsoft with Chris Lewis, VP IEB, Microsoft EMEA saying, "PEGI continues to play a crucial role in the interactive entertainment sector. As a founding member of PEGI, Microsoft continues its strong commitment to safe entertainment by working together with PEGI to help developers rate their games quickly and effectively."

"We are very pleased to have Microsoft as a committed partner and we are delighted that the Windows Phone Platform is the first to feature this new technology", commented Simon Little, Managing Director of PEGI S.A. "PEGI Express fills a clear need for a system to classify mobile game content so that informed decisions can be made by parents.

For more on PEGI Express visit: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/1068/nid/36

Read the open letter via the link below (In Swedish):

http://www.svensktnaringsliv.se/multimedia/archive/00027/_PPET_BREV_27144a.pdf

Labelling Guidelines:

• Updated contact details
• Old label design policy clarification: Previous versions of the age rating icons can no longer be used
• Dual rating policy clarification: Dual ratings are no longer allowed (with exception for hardware bundles).
• Russian and Turkish language version of content descriptors added
• Music as DLC policy change (music downloads not rated by PEGI, notification to consumer)

Advertising Guidelines:

• Provisional rating policy update (text below age rating to indicate provisional rating status)
• Advertorials and categories included in print advertising guidelines.
• TV advertising policy addition: Alternative for 3 and 7 rated games. (Age rating icon must appear at the end of ad for minimum 2 seconds).
• Hybrid trailer/demo policy clarification (hybrid trailers are not allowed).

The full document outlining the new changes and logos can be seen below:

PEGI Labelling & Advertising Guidelines

We are aware that the VAT issue will be discussed in the EU VAT Committee and the guidelines set by that agency may surface at some point in the spring. However, it is unlikely that these guidelines will answer all the questions that the Swedish industry has. Moreover, it is urgent to find answers. Businesses need clarification in order to adapt. In addition, there are several companies that are considering moving abroad, too, in order to avoid the uncertainty that exists today. It is therefore urgent to prevent unnecessary relocation.

Our organizations represent an entire industry of companies for which the issue of VAT management is still not resolved. We therefore call on the Swedish Tax Agency to quickly consider and present their views on how VAT should be handled in the sale of electronic services, particularly in cases where another company receives payment for the service.

For the industry's behalf, we want concrete and clear answers to these very important issues where there is a great need for stringent guidance to achieve a predictable tax system:

1. What is it that determines who is liable for sales of electronic services? Is it anyone who bills the customer or who according to the agreement is responsible to the customer for the service or are there other determining factors? In other words, when is a Swedish company tax liable for the sale of electronic services to private individuals resident in other EU countries, and when this charge is passed on to any other taxpayer?
2. If EU member states cannot agree on the issue of who is taxable, as you know, double taxation may arise. How does the Swedish Tax Agency view this situation, ie. how should companies act to avoid this situation? Should all Swedish players apply for exemption and what documentation is required in order for the Swedish Tax Agency to accept and approve an exemption application? Or does the Swedish Tax Agency believe there is another way to deal with the situation?

We look forward to an open dialogue with the Swedish Tax Agency regarding these questions.

The Swedish Games Industry, Spokesperson Per Strömbäck

The Swedish Association of Software Industry, CEO Peter Bergh

Swedish Federation of Business Owners, Tax Expert Annika Fritsch

Swedish IT & Telecom Industries, Director of the Organization Anne-Marie Fransson

PROMISE, CEO Mikael Svelch

Confederation of Swedish Experts, Tax Expert Anna Sandberg Nilsson

DICE was created in 1992 under the name Digital Illusions. That same year they released their first game - Pinball Dreams, a pinball game for the Amiga. It proved to be successful and spawned two sequels. DICE showed that they were not only good at pinball games, but were also masters at racing games that include Motorhead (1998), STCC (1999) and Rallisport Challenge (2002).

In 2002, the company had its real breakthrough with Battlefield 1942 which elevated DICE to the cream of the absolute best in game development. The team-based action game revolutionized multiplayer. With online gaming growing to be a phenomenon, so has the Battlefield popularity, which has sold over 30 million copies, making it one of Sweden's biggest cultural exports ever.

"PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 continue to grow, with 30 and 14 percent respectively compared to 2009. Even though game sales on the PC decreased by almost seven percent, the platform is still the biggest with 3.6 million sold games," says Johan Mannerhill, chairman of Swedish Games Industry.

The figures only include traditional distribution through retail. However, game sales by mobile phones and digital console services such as Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Wiiware are not accounted for.

"New ways to access games such as apps and digital distribution have for the consumer led to an increased presence of games. We believe that the market is growing, even though the sale of boxed games is decreasing," says Magdalena Jönsson, Project Manager of Games market research at GfK.

But there are several signs indicating clear growth. Figures from Ztorm and publishers show that the digital distribution of PC games grew by 158 percent in the Nordic region during 2010 compared to 2009. Market research company, The NPD Group reported in December 2010 that 29 percent of games bought were done so digitally. The Nordic countries are at the forefront of broadband penetration, and digital sales are believed to be high.

"GfK have the ambition to start tracking digital sales of PC games. It will be interesting to follow the development of the total market with both physical and digital sales," added Magdalena Jönsson, Project Manager of Games market research at GfK.

Nordic multiformat chart 2010

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops
2. FIFA 11
3. Battlefield Bad Company 2
4. Red Dead Redemption
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
6. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
7. Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty
8. Gran Turismo 5
9. FIFA 10
10. New Super Mario Bros Wii

Download the full report at:/media/117167/nordic%20game%20sales%202010%20screen.pdf

The data is compiled by media control-GfK, who collects sales reports from retailers across the Nordic countries, with Denmark provided by GfK-Chart Track.
Please note that the report only covers game sales. Hardware, i.e. the consoles, sales is not included.