NEWS: Games give £1.72bn boost

Games Boost UK by up to £1.72bn

The UK games sector could be adding up to £1.72bn to the nation's economy, according to a report which has analysed the size, growth and location of the UK's games companies.

The report, A Map of the UK Games Industry, produced by Nesta, the innovation charity and Ukie, the UK's trade association for interactive entertainment, uses a 'Big Data' approach to capture evidence of the games industry's activity which may have slipped through classifications, such as SIC data, that are used by official bodies.

The publication estimates that there are 1,902 companies making video games in the UK, with the most popular platform for development proving to be the iOS system used in Apple computers, the iPad and iPhone.

Almost nine out of 10 UK games companies have been started since 2000, with concentrations in 12 games hubs including Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Guildford and Aldershot, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Rotherham, Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The fastest growing areas have been London, Brighton, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester. Overall, the sector is estimated to contribute up to £1.72bn of Gross Value Added to the UK economy.