Dramatic growth of video games cluster in Scotland

The Scottish games development sector has seen a surge in new job opportunities, with employment growth outstripping the wider UK.

New figures released by games industry association Tiga found the number of game developers working in Scotland had risen by 25% to 1,290 between December 2014 and March this year.

The rise came despite the fact the number of companies offering development positions fell from 97 to 85 in the same period.

The research found Scotland’s games development sector indirectly supported more than 2,000 additional jobs north of the border.

Overall, Tiga said Scotland was the UK’s third-largest gaming cluster behind the south east of England and London.

Tiga CEO Dr Richard Wilson said that the Scottish games industry had grown dramatically in 2015/16.

“The Scottish games sector is diverse, with companies working in games for mobile, online, educational and console markets,” he said.

“If the Scottish video games industry is to continue to grow then we need to ensure more Scottish games companies benefit from games tax relief and research and development tax credits, both of which effectively reduce the cost of games development.

“We also need to provide start-ups and small studios with better access to finance and business advice.”