The Australian games industry may be having a tough time, but we’re not alone. Over in the UK, London-based Rocksteady Studios (the creators of the recent Batman games) has lamented the health of their local games industry.
The director of the studio, Sefton Hill, told CVG that the UK could have been a world leader in game development, but due to the lack of support from the government, the industry is now flagging. The country is also losing many of its developers to Canada, where tax incentives make game development more financially attractive.
“A lot of my friends have moved abroad to get work; there’s a real talent drain,” Hill said.
“Montreal is a central place for development and it’s mainly because the tax breaks they give are so phenomenal.
“It’s a real shame, because home computers were so popular and the bedroom programming scene was so big we have some of the best talent in the world in this country. That situation is rapidly changing and it’s such a shame.”
Hill’s comments come after a recent TIGA study revealed that 41% of UK developers who had been made redundant over the last three years had taken their talent abroad.
“I just think that we could have been in Montreal’s position with that backing from the government. It’s such a big industry now and we could be world leaders. Britain’s home computing history is just incredible.”
[CVG]
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