Raise the Game

In spite of its high levels of technical and creative skills and continued production of world-class products, the UK games studio sector faces important structural weaknesses. Creativity and innovation are where UK studios have always excelled, but these two sources of competitive advantage are being severely tested.

This report, commissioned by NESTA from Games Investor Consulting, assesses the competitiveness of the UK's games studio sector in an international context. It shows that, in spite of its high levels of technical and creative skills and its continued production of world-class games, the UK games studio sector faces important structural weaknesses, including a lack of global scale publishers, limited access to finance and skill shortages.

This situation will be difficult to sustain as the industry becomes more globalised. Creativity and innovation are where UK studios have always excelled, but these two sources of competitive advantage are being severely tested.

Immediate action is needed. Video games have achieved a mass medium status, with new genres, hardware and modes of playing contributing to a rapidly expanding global market. At the same time, globalisation has created a uniquely competitive and uneven commercial landscape for video games where UK developers face serious challenges.

Studios, government support agencies and universities all have a role to play in helping overcome these barriers, so that the UK sector remains at the forefront of creativity, innovation and growth in video game development.

Published
December 2008

Author
Games Investor Consulting

Download the report (PDF)