Michigan Film Office Providing Tax Incentives For Ben Hogan Golf Game

Pixofactor Entertainment announced today that its Ben Hogan's 5 Lessons project has become the first to be approved for tax incentives offered to game developers by the Michigan Film Office. The $2.7 million project, which encompasses a Wii game, a mobile application, an interactive web site and DVD, will qualify for a 40 percent refundable tax credit on all expenditures in the state, according to the Michigan Film Office web site. “We are pleased Ben Hogan Wii has been approved as the first video game project under the Michigan film and digital media incentives,” said Carrie Jones, director of the Michigan Film Office, in a statement. “Digital projects hold great potential for our state’s economy and we are excited to see this industry grow in Michigan." The incentive program, passed by the Michigan legislature in 2008, also applies to film makers working in the state, and the number of film projects in the state increased more than ten-fold the year it was passed. Michigan's game development industry has not seen a similar bump, though, with only a handful of games being developed in the state both before and after the legislation, according to the Film Office. "We appreciate the quick and efficient approval process from the Michigan Film Office to bring this innovative video game development work to Michigan,” said Pixofactor CEO Sean Hurwitz, in a statement. "Now that we have approval to begin work on the Ben Hogan video game, we believe this is the launch pad for the video game industry in our State." Loan incentives from the state of Rhode Island were key in convincing Curt Schilling's 38 Studios to move from Massuchusetts earlier this year. Similar game development incentive programs are in place in states including Georgia, Wisconsin, Florida, and North Carolina, as well as the Candian province of Ontario.