Today, the UK Government published its Modern Industrial Strategy, which includes a Creative Industries Sector Plan that invests £30 million (roughly $40 million) into the Games Growth Package, a three-year plan specifically for the video game industry.
The Games Growth Package is focused on supporting the video games industry by finding and supporting new content, backing British talent, and boosting exports by investing within the country.
The UK Games Growth Package establishes a Games Council, which will provide the UK Government on how to grow the games industry. It will also expand the UK Games Fund (something that TIGA, a trade association in the UK video games industry, has promoted for years).
Additionally, the Games Growth Package will give more support to the London Games Festival. The UK’s largest gaming event is expected to double its investment and revenue generation outputs. For reference, the London Games Festival has measured its investments and returns over the last 10 years, with results as follows:
- For every £1 invested, £37 is generated for the games industry
- For every £1 invested, £10 is generated for the economy of London
The Games Growth Package is part of a wider Creative Industries Sector Plan, which includes a few key industries that the UK Government is expecting to grow considerably in the next three years. The other industries include film and TV; music, performing, and visual arts; and advertising and marketing.
The Creative Industries Sector Plan also includes other things besides just money. Other things in the plan are a copyright system that protects humans from AI, a Creative Content Exchange marketplace, more creative-focused education, and more support for creative businesses.
Those interested in reading about the UK Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan can read more about it here, with the main section starting on page 124.
Several groups have shared statements about the UK Government’s Games Growth Package. The first of these is from Dr. Richard Wilson OBE, the CEO of TIGA:
“The £30 million Games Growth Package is good for developers, good for studios and good for the wider economy. Our industry is already economically important and has significant potential. It’s also very encouraging to see the creative industries identified as one of the Government’s 8 priority sectors, and that the video games industry will be prioritised as one of a small number of ‘frontier industries with the greatest growth potential’. TIGA looks forward to championing UK developers, educators and service providers and working with the Government to drive our sector forward.”
Jason Kingsley CBE, the TIGA Chairman and Creative Director at Rebellion, also shared his thoughts:
“I’m delighted that the Government has recognised the value of our industry and will be investing in growth. It’s excellent to see some of the measures that TIGA has campaigned for reflected and included in the Government’s Industrial Strategy and Sector Plan. Our sector generates high skilled jobs across the country and exports around the world. TIGA looks forward to working with the Government to help more UK studios scale-up and succeed.”
Adrian Wootton OBE, the Chief Executive of Film London and Games London, said:
“Coinciding with London Games Festival’s tenth anniversary year, this announcement is the best birthday present we could hope for! This funding will secure the future of the Festival, providing stability for our charitable objectives to champion, grow and make more diverse London and the UK’s games industry, and support our ambitions to make this one of the most important Games Festivals and programmes in the world.
“Our thanks go to DCMS for their game changing support, and to the Mayor of London for their founding and long term commitment. Since its inception in 2015, London Games Festival has become an event of national and international significance, and we look forward to working with our national and regional partners to continue to develop the capacity of our UK Games industry as a whole.
“We also welcome the announcement of additional investment in the UK Global Screen Fund and the National Film and Television School.”
The Head of Games London and the Festival Director of the London Games Festival, Michael French, shared his thoughts:
“With 100,000 visitors each year, London Games Festival has already become the UK’s no.1 video games event, and is hugely economically effective. Every £1 from our founding funder, the Mayor of London, generates £37 back for the economy. But this increased investment from national government will fast-track the festival’s ambitions to go further, help grow our capacity, and allow us to compete with global events.
“Funding will allow us to deliver an expanded festival programme, including more showcasing opportunities; to grow a number of our existing programmes UK-wide; and develop new ones. Our plans for international outreach, talent development and more cultural activity will all create an improved experience for businesses. This is a win for the entire UK video games ecosystem as we create a significantly larger cultural festival for video games with major global appeal.”
And lastly, Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, said:
“We are really proud that, since founding and funding the London Games Festival, we’ve seen it grow into a world-class celebration of our city’s diverse and dynamic games industry – drawing crowds of hundreds of thousands and generating millions for our economy.
“In the last decade, the Mayor’s long-term funding has supported incredible talent and helped establish London as one of the world’s largest hubs for games makers and more Government support is always very welcome.”
Governments around the world have been taking note of the influence and benefits of investing in the video games industry. While this has been happening for years at this point, newer initiatives include the current process of building Qiddiya City, the esports city in Saudi Arabia (though it started construction in 2019), and the Japanese government-sponsored “So-Fu” gaming startups program.