- Tax relief has stimulated £277m in total budget spend in the last twelve months
- 212 new games have been certified in 2017 according to new figures released by BFI
- UK spend and total budget are up on those of 2015 and 2016
London – 31 January, 2018 – TIGA, the independent games association, today urges the UK Government to support the UK games industry, as new figures from the BFI prove the success of Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR).
VGTR, which effectively reduces of the cost of games development, was first implemented in April 2014 after a lengthy campaign led by TIGA. It has supported the creation of 212 new games in 2017 alone, with budgets totalling £277m. UK/EEA spend totalled £249m.
Dr Richard Wilson, OBE, CEO at TIGA, said, “Today’s statistics show that Video Games Tax Relief is helping to drive growth in our high skilled, export focused sector. Yet with Brexit contributing to the UK’s economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever for the UK to reinforce its most successful industries, including the video games sector. We must retain Video Games Tax Relief and explore the potential for making it even more effective to support our games industry. We also still need to improve access to finance by introducing a Games Investment Fund, enhance education and skills, enable studios to continue to recruit highly skilled people from overseas following Brexit and establish a British Games Institute. By taking these actions we can help to make the UK the best place in the world to develop games.”
Jason Kingsley OBE, Chair of TIGA and co-founder at games developer Rebellion, said, “2017 was a hugely positive year for the UK games industry. At Rebellion we had great success with Sniper Elite 4 and Rogue Trooper Redux, and the sector as a whole is set to grow in 2018. But now is not the time to get complacent. The UK has produced some of the world’s most recognised games and provides an incredibly valuable cultural contribution to the nation. However obstacles, like limited access to finance, still exist. Video Games Tax Relief plays a uniquely valuable role in supporting the creation of games – making a real difference for developers, the sector and the UK economy at large.”
ENDS
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About TIGA:
TIGA is the non-profit trade association representing the UK’s games industry. Its members include independent games developers, in-house publisher-owned developers, outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities.
TIGA’s vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. It does this through Government lobbying and maintaining a voice in the corridors of power at both the Westminster and Scottish parliament.