Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
40 Percent Of UK Game Developers Contemplating Relocation Over Brexit
An industry survey in the United Kingdom reveals that game developers in the country have deep concerns about the effect of departure from the European Union.
Game industry organization Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment) has completed and released its 2017 report about game development in the United Kingdom, and the details within suggest that U.K. developers have some deep concerns over what Brexit may mean for them.
40 percent of the 76 developers that responded are considering relocating some or all of their business away from the U.K. to other countries. A driving concern for developers is available talent, as many teams (61 percent of respondents) rely strongly on international talent to fuel their development.
The terms of Brexit continue to be uncertain; it’s not clear yet whether citizens of the European Union currently working in the U.K. will be allowed to stay. Among respondents, 98.4 percent believe that those with skills in game development should have a blanket right to live and work in the U.K.
The survey report also indicates that respondents have faced new challenges with investors; since the EU Referendum, 37% of games businesses surveyed reported negative impacts on their ability to attract investment.
Ukie did not share specifics about the developers that responded to its survey. But many well-known development houses are located in the United Kingdom, including Rockstar North, Ninja Theory, Codemasters, Creative Assembly, Traveller’s Tales, Rocksteady, Fireproof Studios, and Hello Games, among many others.
This survey report from Ukie coincides with the beginning of the United Kingdom’s formal departure from the EU this week.
Our Take
Reading between the lines of this report, it’s easy to tell that many game developers aren’t pleased about the ways they expect Brexit to affect the bottom line for their businesses. The next two years may see some significant shuffling in the United Kingdom’s game development scene.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
