TIGA warns games industry’s growth ‘could be held back’ by Brexit

UK trade association TIGA has urged the government to safeguard developers and other games firms from the potentially damaging fallout from Brexit.

"The UK video games industry is a high technology sector that provides high skilled employment for over 30,000 people, including approximately 11,000 development staff and which contributes £1.1 billion to UK GDP," TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson observed in a statement.

Wilson also highlighted the industry’s “export-oriented” nature, “with at least 95 per cent of studios exporting” – something that could be severely impacted by breaking ties with the EU.

Other areas in which the government will need to maintain support include finance and legal concerns such as IP ownership, Wilson added.

“Following the referendum in favour of ‘Brexit’, it will be more vital than ever to strengthen (and avoid harming) those sectors where the UK has a comparative competitive advantage: for example, aerospace, defence, high-value manufacturing and engineering, high technology industries, higher education, low carbon technology and the creative industries, including the video games sector,” he continued.

"For the video games industry, it is particularly important that policy makers ensure games companies have access to sufficient finance, benefit from Video Games Tax Relief and R&D Tax Relief, have clear and stable IP rights and can access highly skilled people from outside of the UK.

“Any new points-based migration system must not be onerous or complicated, otherwise the industry’s growth could be held back."