MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Tiga today turned the spotlight on the UK games industry as the trade association celebrated its ten-year anniversary.
The firm’s CEO Richard Wilson, along with co-founders Philip Oliver and Jason Kingsley, took time out in a new Develop interview to talk up the British sector.
“The UK has some of the most talented and creative people in game development in the world,” said Wilson.
“There are hubs of developers across the UK, ranging from one-man bands to large businesses.”
Wilson was in particular praise of studios that have succeeded “with limited resources but with huge amounts of skill and creativity”.
His views were echoed by Oliver – co-founder at Blitz Games Studios – who explained that the UK “has a rich tradition and a great track record in producing innovative video games that can compete on the world stage”.
“Perched culturally between Europe and America, we have a natural understanding of how to appeal to two of the largest global markets,” he said.
Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley said the UK has “a deep and creative history to draw from as a country, and our early success in the industry worldwide has left us in a good place to build for the future.”
He urged caution too, explaining that the rest of the world “has woken up to the possibilities for massive exports gains through the high tech industries”.
Kingsley said other countries are “fighting hard to gain market share from us, and sadly they are succeeding.”
Putting that view in a more celebratory light, Wilson said that UK developers “are so talented that some Canadian businesses keep poaching them!”
But the Tiga CEO also praised the UK for adapting well to the rapid shifts in the market.
He said: “UK companies and their teams have proven themselves very versatile and quick to adapt to new market conditions. Our research shows that over 80 per cent of new companies are now working on games for digital distribution.”
Oliver added: “The sheer diversity of today’s markets means that it’s possible for a smart, flexible company to be making many different games to appeal to many different audiences.
“That diversity, and the raising of the quality bar for games over the last couple of years, make it a challenging but supremely enjoyable experience.”
Tiga today clocked ten years since the organisation formed January 24th 2001. Today it has over 140 game-related members and last year won a Trade Association of the Year award.
“Tiga has made great progress over the last 10 years,” said Wilson.
“We have strengthened the video games industry’s political influence; achieved high levels of positive coverage about the UK industry; and delivered new and improved services for our members.
“On behalf of TIGA I would like to thank all of our members and partners for their support over the last decade.”
Develop’s interview with Tiga’s co-founders and CEO can be found here.
