Because it’s so much better when Tencent and the UAE do that without any kind of transparency…

This kind of funding has been integral to the development of some of my very favorite games, and quite different ones (shout-out to the CNC in France for example). They’re just optional subsidies, and the organisation doesn’t intervene in the project itself. They’ll probably care if you are making something illegal, but you know, justice will have something to say about it anyway.

Also as always, “political” is not a thing you can end a discussion on if you’re honest about what you mean. There are not “political” and “apolitical” things, everything touching society at one point or another is “politics”. Yes, even getting your game funded through a bank or private company has implications, probably more than what is presented in that proposition.

Most of what these guidelines say is about local resources, reach and accessibility. Yes, it’s a political choice. Not caring about that is another.