Thanks in large part to the demise of Realtime Worlds, employment in the Scottish videogame sector has fallen 18 percent in 2010, according to new research published by UK game industry group TIGA.
TIGA’s statistics claimed that there are 46 game development businesses in Scotland, which employ 650 workers and contribute £67 million (approximately $103 million U.S.) to the UK’s GDP.
Calling the Scottish industry “at a crossroads,” TIGA said that if Games Tax Relief was introduced, the industry could expect to grow, but if the UK government “sat on its hands and did nothing,” declines would continue.
Games Tax Relief, according to TIGA, could bring Scotland 273 additional jobs, pump £37 million (approximately $57 million U.S.) worth of investments into the sector and generate £33.7 million (approximately $51.8 million U.S.) in tax revenues over the next five years.
Colin Anderson, Managing Director of Dundee-based “digital toy factory" Denki, and also a TIGA Board Member, added, “Scottish and UK video games industries are at a competitive disadvantage. Many of our competitors have tax breaks for games production. We do not. TIGA’s Games Tax Relief would give an incentive for investors to place projects and studios in Scotland and the UK.”
