State of the UK Video Games Development Sector
More findings from TIGA's report, this time covering the trend towards self-publishing.
TIGA, the trade association representing the UK games industry,today released more key findings from a new report ‘State of the UK Video Games Development Sector’. The report is a comprehensive survey of 78 UK games development businesses and provides an accurate picture of games development in the UK.
Today’s findings relate to trends toward self-publishing in the UK independent development sector.
Self-Publishing Trends [report excerpts]:
Propensity to self-publish: 64 per cent of UK game developers surveyed self-publish games [note 96 per cent of developers surveyed are independent]. Preferred platforms for self-publishing: 52 per cent of developers surveyed publish games on the iPhone, 38 per cent on PC, 36 per cent on PlayStation Network/PS3, and 16 per cent on XBLA. Plans to self-publish: Of the 27 game developers in our survey that do not currently self-publish, 70 per cent plan to do so in the future. Obstacles to self-publishing: 26 per cent of the 27 game developers in our survey that do not currently self-publish games cited a lack of finance as the reason behind this situation. 22 per cent said that self-publishing was not a core business activity and 11 per cent said that they lacked the knowledge to go about self-publishing. Importance of online/digital games: On average, 62 per cent of games created by UK developers surveyed are online or digital products, as opposed to physical, However there is a huge difference between publisher owned and independent studios here. For independent developers the figure is 52 per cent, for independent developers who also publish games the figure is 72 per cent and for publisher owned studios the figure is just 1 per cent.Dr. Richard Wilson TIGA CEO stated: “This report shows the scale of the self-publishing among independent developers in the UK. The UK boasts one of the most talented and creative games development workforces in the world and it is no surprise that UK developers are taking advantage of the new opportunities offered by self publishing. Self-publishing offers developers the chance to produce a more diverse range of products at differing price points. It also offers the opportunity for developers to establish and maintain a direct connection with consumers. At TIGA we encourage and support developers who wish to self publish by offering access to expert advice and a chance to network with other TIGA members who are already active in this area.”
The full State of the UK Video Games Development Sector report covers topics such as industry profile; platforms and genres; self-publishing; in-game advertising; outsourcing; the cost of games development; customers and markets; the main obstacles to business growth and policies to promote growth. The report was support by Train2Game. To purchase a copy of the full report visit www.tiga.org.
Tomorrow’s report excerpts will focus on in-game advertising and customers. For more information visit www.tiga.org.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Note on data sources:
In 2008 there were 9,850 development staff in the UK. 4350 were in 47 in-house, publisher owned studios and 4,150 were in 166 independent studios. 550 staff were in 73 service companies. Additionally and estimated 800 freelancers were working in active development roles[1]. The majority of development businesses are small to medium-size enterprises. In this survey 45 per cent of participants were independent developers that only publish games, 51 per cent were independent developers that develop and publish games and 4 percent were in-house publisher owned development studios. This survey is therefore representative of the independent development sector.
About TIGA:
TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry. The majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house publisher owned developers. We also have games publishers, outsourcing companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. TIGA was awarded ‘Trade Association of the Year’ and the ‘Member Recruitment Award’ at the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards 2010.
TIGA's vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.
For further information, please contact Eva Field, TIGA PR Manager on: 07814 039 983, or email eva@tiga.org.
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[1]Gibson, R. And Gibson, N., Raise the Game (NESTA, December 2008), p. 9.