Thanks to the growing appetite for smartphone and tablet gaming, the UK games industry has reported growth for the first time in three years, according to newly-published figures.
Trade body TIGA said numbers were up in a range of key areas, including the number of studios, the active creative developers working in studios and the industry's contribution to the UK's GDP.
Overall games-based employment in the UK grew by 4 per cent, the first rise since 2012, with small start-ups emerging to replace some high profile console developers shuttering UK operations in recent years.
Studios numbers rose from 338 to 441 between 2011 and 2012, while those working in a creative capacity shot up from 8,888 to 9,224. Jobs indirectly resulting from the studios grew from 16,250 to 16,864 in the same period.
Richard Wilson DOES believe it
The industry boon was supplemented by the increasing appetite for smartphone and tablet games on Android and iOS devices, according to TIGA CEO Richard Wilson.
He said: "The UK economy may be on the verge of a triple dip recession but the recovery in the UK games development sector has taken off. Employment, investment and start-ups are up. The games development industry is growing again.
"The increasing prevalence o mobile and tablet devices have created a growing market for games: studios are setting up to meet this demand. The closure of big console-based studios has been followed by an explosion of small start-up companies."
Wilson also mentioned that impending government tax breaks for gaming companies, which come into effect in April, will help growth to continue in future years.
Via Guardian
