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UK Gaming Industry Receives Boost

Stock Option Trading The United Kingdom's gaming industry received a major boost this week with confirmation of support from the UK Trade & Investment Program. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) and the Independent Game Developers Association (IGDA) will be working with the UK Trade & Investment Program to benefit the 2 billion industry and the twenty thousand plus it employs. Full details can be found in the official ELSPA release below.

GAMES INDUSTRY A PRIORITY FOR UK TRADE & INVESTMENT

The UK computer and video games industry received a massive boost this week with the government confirming several high profile support initiatives. The announcement from ELSPAs Director General, Roger Bennett and TIGA CEO, Fred Hasson is seen as a public endorsement of the 2 billion games industry, which employs over 20,000 people and makes a significant contribution to UK Plc balance of payments.

ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, and TIGA, (The Independent Game Developers Association), outlined initial details of support from UK Trade & Investment, a majority of which will focus around the two key trade events of the year; European Games Network in London in September and E3 in Los Angeles in May.

"ELSPA is greatly encouraged and grateful for the increasingly positive and definitive support displayed by UK Trade & Investment towards our industry", commented Bennett. "UK Trade & Investment will be closely involved in a number of initiatives in 2004 as part of its commitment to supporting our industrys efforts to maintain the stake-holding UK has in global games creation and development, and to help establish new avenues of opportunity at all levels of our business."

Hasson said: "The UK Trade & Investment programme is especially suitable for the SMEs who are independent developers. We have enjoyed working up a prototype sector support strategy with ELSPA and UK Trade & Investment which will work for the industry, and now the challenge is to ensure the industry reaps maximum benefits from the support packages available."

UK Trade & Investment is the Government organisation that supports both companies in the UK, trading internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to locate in the UK. Specifically in the case of the games industry, UK Trade & Investment is instrumental in smoothing paths to providing promotional support in better accessing markets around the world for creative investment and content distribution, and enhancing UKs position as the gateway to Europe for inward investors.

This broad import/export focus has enabled UK Trade & Investment to offer the games industry, via its trade bodies, a tightly targeted proposed programme of activity in 2004. This includes:

Industry meet and greet at E3 in May providing a facility for key players from around the globe to open new channels of communication with UK interests in an informal setting.
A dedicated TIGA pre-E3 conference on Tuesday 11th May on the theme of "US opportunities for UK developers".
VIP reception at European Games Network in September, in co-operation with the Mayor of Londons office giving senior management from overseas companies the opportunity to discover the diverse offerings within the UK and outward into Europe.
Inward Missions around European Games Network of up to 20 high level individuals from prospective business partners in USA, Japan, Korea and emerging overseas markets.
Identifying and promoting the games industry through Consulate and Embassy distribution of the new ELSPA/TIGA/UK Trade & Investment branded "Britsoft" book throughout the world.
Games industry participation in overseas scoping missions, such as the South Korean trip in February which featured both ELSPA and TIGA representatives supplying invaluable market information from key territories. Other territories to be targeted include USA, Japan and China.
Inclusion in missions to industry events abroad, including GDC in San Jose in March and CTIA in San Francisco in October.

A spokesperson for UK Trade & Investment commented: "The games business is a dynamic industry with a variety of assets that offer significant potential to the British economy. We are keen to assist it in all its facets, in particular by highlighting its position as one of the leading sources for innovative games content globally while ensuring the UK is first choice worldwide for development investment and for locating and accessing the lucrative European markets for global companies."

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