Nick opened the conference, setting out UKIE’s ambition to supercharge the future of the UK games industry. Nick argued that the way that games are developed, discovered, shared, monetised and situated within daily life is changing, and that the current challenge facing the industry was how quickly and decisively it could adapt and position itself for the future.
A Three‑Point Manifesto: Energise, Elevate, Empower
UKIE’s 5-year Strategy and Action Plan sets out how the trade association will drive new industry growth, while laying longer term foundations so that the UK is the leading global hub for new IP and innovation in video games and interactive entertainment by 2030. Underlying this vision are three key campaigns - energising industry, empowering talent and elevating games.
On energising the industry, Nick reported on a change in government posture – video games are now named a “frontier industry” in the government’s industrial strategy, with £30 million being invested into boosting indie development across the UK. In exchange for that investment, the government is looking for the UK games industry to build great games and succeed at selling those games worldwide. UKIE is capitalising on that government confidence, setting out proposed reforms to the Video Games Expenditure Credit and Games Growth Relief. Nick paired these reform proposals with a call for the government to provide a stable, games‑literate regulatory environment that protects IP while embracing AI’s opportunities - recognising the industry’s unique role at the intersection of creativity, rights, and technology.
On elevating games, Nick argued the culture war is over: games are not merely “art,” they are a living medium that both defines and is defined by daily culture. He illustrated this through the clinical practice of Ellie Finch, a counsellor who uses the game Minecraft in her therapeutic practice to help children articulate trauma - TNT for an explosive parent, glass for a fragile father, wheat for a child barely held together - showing how games now furnish the metaphors of youth culture. Nick argued that the task for their elevating games campaign is to tell these stories to policymakers who do not live in game culture, and to enlist the industry to “elevate that narrative.”
On empowering talent, Nick emphasised that the UK was “absolutely brimming with creative talent”, including creative storytellers, incredible engineers, and people innovating across the range of technologies used in video game development. He however was frank that there remained significant structural and systemic barriers around who was able to make games and who receives financial support. Nick argued that much more was needed from the industry to unlock talent across the whole of the UK, including in communities that have felt left behind. UKIE is pursuing a number of initiatives to address these issues, including the Raise the Game initiative to create pathways for underrepresented talent and fostering inclusive practices across the sector.
Where to next for the sector?
In closing, Nick argued that the success of the video game industry in the UK was a testament to its unique nature and the way that its members support, share and nurture each other. He argued that the industry should move forward with confidence, given its ability to embrace change and “let go of the legacy where it's no longer helping us” to lean into the new. In doing so, he argued that the UK would be well positioned not just to follow the video game industry into its next era, but to lead it.