UKIE Urges for Political Support and Publishes More Market Data

UK consumers spent £7.6bn on video games in 2024 according to new data published by UKIE today. The British association presented this and other data at the launch of the new Press Start on Growth campaign. The British government must act quickly to capitalise on growth opportunities and create up to 6,000 new jobs in the UK games industry.

According to the UK industry association UKIE, the aim is to increase the gross value added of the British games industry by £500 million in just five years. However, if the British government does not act quickly, it risks that instead of 6000 new jobs, skilled workers in the games industry will move away and with them innovation potential and IPs.

The statements and publication of further figures on the British gaming market were prompted by the launch of a new campaign by the British industry association UKIE. Entitled ‘Press Start on Growth’, the campaign has four key demands:

• A reform of the Video Games Expenditure Credit
• An expansion of the UK Game Fund
• Improvements in the area of skills and talent development
• Improved access to funding to enable studios to grow

The association is convinced that the industry could contribute £500 million more gross value added and create 6,000 new jobs in five years in this way. The industry currently contributes around £6bn in GVA annually and supports 73,000 jobs.

"The UK games industry is a global success story, but we can’t take that success for granted. With smart reforms, we can unlock £500 million GVA, create 6,000 skilled jobs, and supercharge the UK’s digital economy. But if we delay, we risk losing that prize to competitors overseas. Now is the time to press start on growth. The UK has the talent, the stories, and the studios. What we need now is bold support to match our ambition. If the government is serious about backing digital growth, then backing games is the place to start," says Nick Poole, CEO of UKIE.

In addition to the data already mentioned, the association has also presented further market data on the development of consumer spending on games in the UK for 2024. Some of the data was already published by the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) in January. However, the UKIE has commissioned additional companies for other segments that are not covered by the ERA.

UKIE estimates that UK consumers will spend £5.14 billion on games software in 2024. This is 0.58% more than in the previous year. The ERA had assumed a decline but did not include spending on mobile games, for example.

Spending on hardware, on the other hand, fell by 5.1 per cent to £2.11 billion. In addition, the UKIE adds expenditure totalling £385 million for products from the very broad field of ‘game culture’. In addition to toys, this also includes books, magazines, soundtracks and events.

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