Making Games in the UK research

Client: TIGA
Brief: Conduct a large scale survey of the UK games sector’s development companies, finding new companies, contacting companies to establish development headcount, then writing a report describing the structure, drivers, opportunities and challenges for the sector.
Time frame: 6 months
Deliverables: We updated our database of UK games companies using data from publicly available sources, then surveyed hundreds of companies by email and telephone. We established that the sector had experienced higher growth than at any point since we began surveying the sector in 2008. We utilised the data to forecast growth for the sector over 5 years, delivered the games company database to TIGA as well as the report establishing the health of the sector, its drivers and barriers. We produced a separate analysis of the development sector in Scotland.
Result: TIGA published the report in Spring 2022, which was featured in multiple industry and mainstream news outlets.

Games Up? Campaign

Client: TIGA, Ukie and 25 of the largest UK-based games companies and publishers
Brief: After writing the Playing for Keeps report for the Department of Trade and Industry (which found that the UK games sector was declining due to games incentives in other territories), we designed a campaign promoting the economic and cultural impact of games to the public, policymakers at the Treasury and other political stakeholders. We were funded by games companies to deliver the campaign, working with both trade bodies and senior industry figures.
Time frame: 1 month of preparation, 4 months of research, 1 week of promotion, 3 weeks of results gathering.
Deliverables: We chose a PR agency (3 Monkeys), an economic analysis team (Oxford Economics) and a lobbying company (Precise Political). We conducted the first ever census of the UK industry, delivered campaign and policy materials, managed monthly campaign Board meetings at Ukie’s offices in Soho, handled campaign administration and finances, oversaw the training of campaign spokespeople including Sir Ian Livingstone and David Braben OBE, oversaw press interviews including BBC News and ran a campaign review for funding companies after the campaign finished.
Result: The campaign received widespread press coverage from national print and broadcast media and created a quorum of roughly 100 pro-games MPs at Westminster. We scaled the games development industry’s economic impact for the first time, broke down barriers in the media about the positive impact of games on UK society and worked with the Treasury and DCMS to create the economic and cultural logic for Video Games Tax Relief which was approved by the Coalition Government in 2012 and started disbursements in 2014.