Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said: “The UK film industry receives approximately £155 million annually from the government. There is no reliable information concerning how much public money is invested in the UK video games industry. The Government does not know how much money UKT&I spends on the video games industry or how much money games businesses save through R&D Tax Credits. These data deficiencies need to be redressed. We do know that Regional Development Agencies provided just over £1 million to the video games sector in 2007-08 and that the Technology Strategy Board invested £577,000 in projects involving UK video game businesses in 2008-09. This is a fraction of the support available for the film industry.”
Wilson says the difference in investment is remarkable considering the size of the games industry compared to film. “Revenues from the UK's video games industry hit £1.73 billion in the 12 months ending September 2009. This is more than 44 per cent higher than UK Box Office takings and DVD/Blu-ray sales combined, which totalled just under £1.2 billion - meaning that games outperformed films overall by over 44 per cent.
“If we are to encourage a range of successful industries in the UK and reduce our over-reliance on financial services then the Government must accurately record where public money is allocated and invest in all those creative industries with potential, not just the film industry.”
Jason Kingsley, chairman of TIGA and CEO of Rebellion Studios, added, “The UK has a variety of creative industries with the potential for strong economic growth. The success of the UK film industry demonstrates the positive impact of tax relief: the UK Film Council has estimated that the sector would be 75 per cent smaller without it. TIGA continues to urge the government and opposition parties to support Games Tax Relief. We also encourage the Government to recognise the potential of all creative sectors.”