EU officials have been condemned by the TaxPayers' Alliance for contributing £2.4m to the development of video games

EU officials have been accused of "splashing the cash" by pumping £2.4 million into developing video games.

The TaxPayers' Alliance compiled a list of projects which received money from the Creative Europe fund last year.

Some £110,000 apparently went towards developing a game called Arena World, in which "Gladiators from the known dimensions meet, to demonstrate their absolute skill in combat".

The same amount was granted to Duels - an action-adventure in which the main character tries to break out of prison using "an innovative mix of sword fight and shoot-them-up game play" - and Cosmic Top Secret Experience - described as a "playable cocktail of James Bond, Find My Family and The Walking Dead".

Your Kingdom Come, which "tells a simple story about the fragility of the family with a metaphor where the family members, presented as unreal monsters, continuously fight", was handed £103,000, according to the research.

A £75,000 contribution was made to Ship Emergency Simulator, the "world's first maritime career simulator".

The Creative Europe fund is run by the European Commission, and aims to support the creative industries across the continent.

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers will be furious that Brussels bureaucrats seem to have no regard for the value of taxpayers' money.

"At a time when there are serious issues across the continent, the EU's focus should be on solving real-life problems rather than splashing the cash on made-up ones.

"Those responsible for approving this spending must be held accountable."

PA Media