EMPLOYMENT in video-games development in Scotland fell marginally in the year to last November following a period of strong growth – amid the closure of several studios – an industry survey has revealed.
The fall in employment in games development in Scotland contrasted with an 8.1 per cent rise in the UK as a whole over the same period.
TIGA found in its survey, conducted between September and November last year, that Scotland had 1,537 permanent, full-time-equivalent creative staff working on games development across 84 companies.
The trade body noted this was lower than the 1,540 staff employed in 91 companies at the same point in 2017.
The number of permanent, full-time-equivalent creative staff in studios in the UK as a whole surged from 13,277 to 14,353, with much of the growth in employment being driven by larger companies, according to TIGA.
Scotland is home to 7.9% of the UK’s games companies and 10.7% of its developer headcount. TIGA noted the comparable figures in its autumn 2017 survey were 8.9% and 11.6% respectively.
The games-development sector in Scotland supports an additional 2,810 indirect jobs, TIGA calculated.
Annually, Scottish games-development companies are estimated to invest £88 million in salaries and overheads, and contribute £80m in direct and indirect tax revenues the Treasury. They are estimated to contribute £194m to the UK’s gross domestic product, directly and indirectly.
TIGA chief executive Richard Wilson said: “Growth in the Scottish video-games industry ground to a halt in 2018, after growing dramatically in the previous year. The halt in headcount growth is due to the closure of a number of studios.”
Professor Gregor White, of Abertay University in Dundee, said: “There is still much to be positive about.”
