TIGA,the trade association representing the UK games industry, said today that
statements that the Australian games industry has been obliterated should make
for sober reading for UK policy makers.
TIGA made the warning in the light of comments by Jason Stark, studio director at Krome in Australia, that the country’s video
games industry has been “obliterated”.
Stark blamed the destruction of the
Australian games industry on a lack of new projects, the strong Australian
dollar and tax incentives in other regions for the decline. Since 2009, studios
including Pandemic, EA's Visceral, Krome and Team Bondi have all closed. Stark
claimed around 90 per cent of local developers are moving overseas to places
such as Canada, “where streets are paved with video game gold.” Stark added: “We've all expected the industry
to be shrinking – it's been bad times. It's gone from being a mild contraction
to being pretty much obliterated.” (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-10-18-australian-games-industry-has-been-obliterated)
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:
“For any politician who cares about the UK video games sector, the news
from Australia should make for sober reading. Although the UK video games
sector employs an excellent, highly talented workforce, we are not competing on
a level playing field. Our competitors in Canada, many states in the USA and
France, benefit from tax breaks for games production, thereby reducing the cost
of development and employment. However, no tax breaks for games production
exist in the UK. Our industry is at a disadvantage.”
Jason Kingsley, TIGA Chairman and
CEO and Creative Director at Rebellion, said:
“The UK video games sector provides highly skilled employment, exports its
contents all over the world, is highly creative and is R&D intensive. It is
exactly the kind of industry that politicians should be supporting. TIGA will
advance a case for a carefully targeted break, better R&D tax credits and a
Creative Content Fund to help UK games businesses. Our industry can contribute
to the economic recovery but we need a tax system that lets us compete
effectively. I like Australia, but I
don’t want the UK video games industry to end up in the same state.”
Ends
About
TIGA:
TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry.The
majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house
publisher owned developers.We also have games publishers, outsourcing
companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. TIGA
was awarded ‘Trade Association of the Year’ and the ‘Member Recruitment Award’
at the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards 2010. In 2011, TIGA won a further four awards at
the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards, including ‘Trade Association
of the Year’ for the second consecutive year.
TIGA has been voted a finalist in the CMI Management and Leadership Awards
2011 in the ‘Outstanding Organisation (SME)’ category. Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA
CEO, has been voted a finalist in the ‘Outstanding Leader’ category. TIGA was also named as a finalist in the 2010
Chartered Management Institute (CMI) National Management and Leadership Awards
in the category of ‘The Outstanding Organisation of the Year Award (SME)’. TIGA
is an ‘Investors in People’ accredited organisation.
TIGA is the trade
association representing the UK’s games industry. Our vision is to make the UK the best place
in the world to do games business. Our mission is to fight for the interests of
game developers. To achieve our vision and mission we focus on the delivery of
three strategic objectives: effective political representation, profile raising
and helping our members commercially. This means that TIGA members are
effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the
media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their
businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
For further information, please contact Dr
Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on: 07875 939 643, or email richard.wilson@tiga.org.