North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has welcomed news that the UK’s video games industry is expanding at the fastest rate ever recorded.
Research carried out by TIGA, the body representing the UK video games industry, has shown that the UK video game sector not only grew at record levels in 2019-20, but also grew at the fastest annualised rate since research was first conducted in 2007-08.
The research showed that between November 2018 – April 2020:
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The number of staff in studios grew by an annualised rate of 12.2% from 14,353 to 16,836 full-time and full-time equivalent staff – the fastest rate the UK industry has seen since research began in 2007-08
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The total games development workforce, including contractors, grew from 16,532 to 18,279, a record high
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The number of jobs indirectly supported by studios rose from 26,241 to 30,781
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The total studio population grew from 812 to 1,041
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The combined direct and indirect tax revenues generated by the sector for the Treasury are estimated to have increased from £747million to £907million
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Annual investment by studios rose from £818million to £993million
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The game development sector’s annual contribution to UK GDP increased from £1.8billion to £2.2billion
The figures have been welcomed by Justin Tomlinson MP, who was previously the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Video Games and has worked closely with the industry.
Following the publication of these figures, Justin said, “This is fantastic news. The video games industry is a hugely important sector in the UK, which has produced some of the world’s most popular games – such as the Football Manager series. I will continue to support the industry as it continues to go from strength to strength – something we proudly celebrate in Swindon with our fantastic and unique Swindon Computer Museum ”
