The UK Government has launched a new $40.5m (£30m) fund and pledged to expand the UK Games Fund to support British game development.
It has also established a new UK Video Games Council, comprising industry representatives, to establish closer links with Whitehall and drive growth in the UK’s creative industries, which will benefit overall from an injection of upwards of $510m (£380m). According to PocketGamer, a new UK Games Skills Network will also be created to identify and address skill gaps.
“The £380 million package is part of a wider plan to deliver targeted investment to create thousands of new jobs and opportunities, in sub-sectors like film and TV, music, performing and visual arts, video games and advertising, while generating economic growth in six regions outside London over the next three years,” the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said in a statement via LBC.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the funding would “boost regional growth, stimulate private investment, and create thousands more high-quality jobs.”
“On behalf of the UK’s world-leading video game and interactive entertainment sector, we welcome the measures set out by the Government to supercharge our Creative Industries as part of the Industrial Strategy,” said Ukie CEO Nick Poole. “[The] announcement is both a validation of the huge cultural and economic impact of video games and an opportunity to show the world we are open for business.”
TIGA CEO Richard Wilson added: “The video games industry provides high skilled jobs, is export-focused and supports economic growth across the UK. The reinforced UK Games Fund will help more small studios to scale up and grow, while the funding for London Games Festival will highlight the capital’s position as one of the most significant games clusters in Europe.”
Earlier this month, the Welsh Government awarded six independent Welsh game developers a total $1.15 million (£850,000) in funding. The Games Scale Up Fund for Wales, the first of its kind for the devolved UK nation, was launched earlier this year as part of a campaign by Creative Wales and the UK Games Fund.