Who we are

UKIE is the trade association that represents the UK’s games and interactive entertainment industry.  UKIE’s membership includes games publishers, developers and the academic institutions that support the industry.

We represent the majority of the UK video games industry: in 2010 UKIE members were responsible for 97% of the games sold as physical products in the UK and UKIE is the only trade body in the UK to represent all the major console manufacturers (Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony).

The interactive entertainment sector is one of the UK’s leading creative industries:

  • 1 in 3 people in the UK now play some form of interactive entertainment.
  • The value of the video games retail market was £3.3 billion in 2010.
  • The global games industry is predicated to grow 10.6% between 2010 and 2014 – faster than film, music and TV 

The interactive entertainment industry leads the way in having a diverse range of online and offline business models: from free to play aps to blockbuster, boxed products.

UKIE wants the UK to be the best place in the world to develop and publish interactive entertainment products.  Accordingly, UKIE has four broad policy pillars to help nurture the right environment needed for our expanding industry to thrive.

Policy Pillar 1: Commercial

UKIE’s commercial pillar is made up of the following topics: access to finance; regulation; and technology infrastructure.

Access to Finance:

Our industry, like many creative industries, faces particular challenges accessing finance. This extends to both debt and equity finance: banks are reluctant to lend and private equity investment is not forthcoming for an industry perceived as high risk, low return. In addition to our continued support for a video games production tax relief, UKIE has identified a number of areas where government can work with our industry to make a difference.

This includes:

  • Introduction of a royalty box to support innovation and R&D
  • Retention and modification of the R&D tax credit scheme, which our industry values but which could work better
  • Providing more for prototype funding to help products become more commercially viable and therefore more attractive to banks and investors

UKIE also supports its members by helping to educate private investors about our industry and the huge potential for investment and growth.

Broadband Infrastructure: 

In recent years the internet has played a vital role for our industry as the main driver in the rapid growth and development of online games, leading to increased game development, production and, of course, jobs. The rate of growth in digital sales was as high as 44% in 2009 and has now levelled to a healthy 23%. It is vital that we have the infrastructure to support this growth, in particular:

  • A superfast broadband connection in excess of 30Mbps by 2020
  • Adequate coverage, as well as speed, including fixed line access in rural areas

Providing a widespread, reliable, fast broadband network is crucial to ensuring the UK is seen as a viable option for the hosting of cloud-based services. If cloud-based services, accessed by UK consumers, are hosted abroad because of inadequate infrastructure and uptake in the UK, the loss to the Treasury in the form of VAT and corporation tax will be enormous. Instead, we need an  environment that attracts online services of the future, which are not only good for the consumer but great for UK Plc.

Policy Pillar 2: Intellectual Property (IP)

The video games and interactive entertainment industry thrives on the creation of IP, and the UK is renowned for its strong tradition of original IP creation. However, piracy – particularly in the online space – represents a huge threat to our industry: to the development of innovative new content, to jobs, and ultimately to revenue for the Treasury.

UKIE broadly supports the Digital Economy Act, in particular sections 17 and 18, and would like to see the establishment of processes for blocking particular infringing sites implemented as soon as possible. UKIE awaits the outcome of Ofcom’s site blocking review.  In the meantime UKIE will continue to engage with rights holders/ISP roundtables and supports Government’s continuing efforts in the areas under consideration.

UKIE was broadly happy with Professor Hargreaves’ Review of the UK’s IP system but some areas did give us cause for concern.  We await the Government’s response to this, in particular for proposals relating to the Digital Rights Exchange, exceptions to copyright, and licensing. 

Policy Pillar 3: Education and Skills

The Livingstone Hope (“Next Gen”) review of the skills needed in the video games and visual effects industries showed that computer science, the most important skill required to create the digital devices and software of the future, is not currently on the national curriculum. This means that there is a generation of British children who lack the skills required to actually create the apps, games and business technology that we use every day and that form part of an ever growing, multi-billion pound global market.

UKIE believes that this skills gap is a potential threat to all businesses with computing at their core and calls on government to introduce computer science as a stand-alone subject on the National Curriculum.

The Livingstone Hope Skills Review, commissioned by DCMS, made 20 recommendations, including calling on the Government to introduce Computer Science on the National Curriculum.

UKIE welcomes the Livingstone-Hope Review into the video games and visual effects industries. One of UKIE’s key goals is to promote a skills and education agenda that:

  • will ensure that the right people have the right skills to succeed in the games industry
  • promotes video games as a career
  • introduces more games and technology based learning into the UK’s classrooms – improving engagement with children whilst educating them about the skills needed to produce the next big video game.

UKIE will be working with a range of industry and business partners who share our aims to implement the reviews recommendations. 

Policy Pillar 4: Health, Wellbeing and Social Responsibility

UKIE successfully championed the introduction of the PEGI age rating system for video games in the UK, enshrined in the Digital Economy Act 2010. This pan-European system presents parents with an easily understandable, recognisable age rating label, alongside more detailed content descriptors, so that they can make informed decisions about the types of content their children are exposed to.  UKIE calls on the Government to ensure PEGI is transposed into law as soon as possible, so that we can begin our public awareness campaign around the new age rating system. 

UKIE is a member of the UKCCIS Executive Board and project-leads the parental control working group. UKIE continues to promote its safe and sensible gaming messages, including the use of parental controls, at all available opportunities.