The gaming industry in the UK continues to show growth. Over the past year, the contribution of this sector to the country’s economy amounted to almost $4 billion. In this case, we are talking only about activities related to the development and publication of games.This became known from a new economic report prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS).
If we talk about the figures more specifically, then in 2019 the gaming industry brought the UK economy £2.91 billion ($3.91 billion). The growth in annual terms was 9.1%.
Important clarification: the data in the document does not take into account retail, merchandising, esports and the work of support services. With them, the totals could be even bigger.
According to the trade association of British developers Ukie, these indicators indicate a stable growth of the entire video game sector.
For comparison, in 2010, the contribution of the gaming industry to the country’s economy amounted to only £400 million ($540 million), and in 2016, according to the British Film Institute (BFI), the contribution of the gaming industry to the British economy amounted to £2.87 billion ($3.85 billion).
“The new figures underline how successfully and rapidly the British gaming industry is growing. Since the issue of raising income is firmly on the agenda, it makes sense for the government to support a growing sector in which 55% of developers are located outside London,“ said Jo Twist, Ukie CEO.