TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry, said today that the Government should invest adequate resources in all creative industries with potential, not just the film industry.
TIGA made the comments following a statement by Sion Simon MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who said that the UK Film Council annually receives about £25 million in grant funding and £30 million in lottery funding, that it invests in supporting British films. A further £100 million worth of tax credit is made available to the film industry through Film Tax Relief.
Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said:
“The UK film industry receives approximately £155 million annually from the Government. There is no reliable information concerning how much public money is invested in the UK video games industry. The Government does not know how much money UKT&I spends on the video games industry or how much money games businesses save through R&D Tax Credits. These data deficiencies need to be redressed. We do know that Regional Development Agencies provided just over £1 million to the video games sector in 2007-08 and that the Technology Strategy Board invested £577,000 in projects involving UK video game businesses in 2008-09. This is a fraction of the support available for the film industry.
“The difference in Government investment is remarkable considering the relative size of the video games industry compared to film. Revenues from the UK’s video games industry hit £1.73 billion in the 12 months ending September 2009. This is more than 44 per cent higher than UK Box Office takings and DVD/Blu-ray sales combined, which totalled just under £1.2 billion – meaning that games outperformed films overall by over 44 per cent1.
“If we are to encourage a range of successful industries in the UK and reduce our over-reliance on financial services then the Government must accurately record where public money is allocated and invest in all those creative industries with potential, not just the film industry.””
Jason Kingsley, Chairman of TIGA and CEO and Creative Director at Rebellion Studios, said:
“The UK has a variety of creative industries with the potential for strong economic growth. The success of the UK film industry demonstrates the positive impact of tax relief: the UK Film Council has estimated that the sector would be 75 per cent smaller without it. TIGA continues to urge the Government and Opposition parties to support Games Tax Relief. We also encourage the Government to recognise the potential of all creative sectors.””
Ends
Notes to editors:
For statistics on public support for the film industry, see Hansard, January 18th 2010, [310901], See http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100118/debtext/100118-0002.htm
[1]See http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/uk-videogames-revenue-44-percent-higher-than-filmsAbout 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 outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership.
TIGA’s vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. 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: 0845 0941095; Mob: 07875 939643; or Email: richard.wilson@tiga.org, or, Eva Field, TIGA PR Manager on: 07814 039 983, or email eva@tiga.org.