According to TIGA’s Making Games in the UK 2022 report, the number of full-time employees working in games went from 16,836 to 20,975 from April 2020 to December 2021. This signifies a surge by almost 25%, at an annualised rate of 14.7%. Annual investment by game studios in the UK was £1.3 billion by December 2021, compared to £993 million in April 2020 (+23.62%).
Besides, TIGA estimated that “combined direct and indirect tax revenues generated by the sector for the Treasury” have gone from £907 million to £1.19 billion during that same period (+23.78%), and that the games industry’s annual contribution to the UK’s GDP reached £2.9 billion by December 2021 (compared to £2.2 billion in April 2020, +24.13%).
A separate report from TIGA focused on the Scottish industry, which has also grown 26% from April 2020 to December 2021, and represented 7.9% of the UK-based games companies. Scotland has 2,269 permanent and full-time equivalent creative staff working on games development in 147 discrete, verified and active gaming companies. This is up from 96 companies employing 1,803 staff in April 2020. Over £141 million has been invested in salaries and overheads from Scottish developers every year, contributing to over £129 million in revenues and £312 million to the UK’s GDP.
About this study, Dr. Richard Wilson, CEO at TIGA and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), explained: “The UK video games development sector is sprinting ahead. These indicators are the highest rates recorded since our survey began in 2007. Four factors are driving growth in our industry: a) consumer demand for games; b) a highly skilled and experienced workforce capable of creating content and original IP; c) the launch of a range of new consoles from Sony (PlayStation 5) and Microsoft (Xbox Series X & S) in late 2020 benefitted the UK development industry, and d) Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) is enabling our sector to grow strongly.”