META Games Industry Index showcases best in British gaming
Inspiration
In a nutshell...
- The inaugural META Games Industry Index was launched at a special event on 25 January, 2022.
- The campaign celebrates the creativity, innovation, job creation and positive social impact of the UK independent games industry.
The META Games Industry Index 2021 has been officially launched at a special virtual conference to celebrate the creativity, innovation, job creation and positive social impact of the UK independent games industry.
The inaugural META Games Industry Index campaign is led by UMi in collaboration with headline partner Ukie and campaign partners RLC Ventures and Sheridans.
Attendees to the conference, hosted by UMi's Richard Dawson, welcomed keynotes from Sir Ian Livingstone - the man behind Games Workshop, Fighting Fantasy and the Tomb Raider and Hitman series, who was Knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours List for his services to gaming.
Sir Ian - who is an ambassador of the META Games Industry Index - shared invaluable insights on how to grow and scale a games studio and what he, as a prolific angel investor in his own right, would be looking for when deciding to invest in a company. He followed his presentation by answering attendees' questions.
XR Games Founder and CEO Bobby Thandi followed Sir Ian, who he revealed had been a major influence on his own career.
Bobby spoke candidly about what it takes to grow an independent UK studio while trying to maintain a passion for gaming and explained how the market for extended reality (XR) games and technology is set to grow exponentially over the next five years to pave the way for the so-called metaverse.
Watch Sir Ian Livingstone and Bobby Thandi's keynotes below.
Following Sir Ian and Bobby was a wide-ranging panel discussion, featuring Sam Collins, Head of Commercial and Membership at Ukie, Sally Blake, CEO of Silent Games and founder of Women Making Games network, Oliver Kicks, Principal at RLC Ventures, and Tim Repa-Davies, Partner at Sheridans Law.
The panel discussed opportunities and challenges facing the UK independent games industry including talent acquisition and retention, access to finance, and diversity and inclusion.
This was followed by the official launch of the META Games Industry Index 2021, which showcases the 41 successful nominees that the judges identified as excelling in innovation, diversity and longevity.
A second panel discussion then featured two of the Index Heroes - Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou, Founder of Polygon Treehouse, and Jo Haslam, Design Director of Snap Finger Click - who shared their business journey so far and their ambitions for the future.
Watch the panel discussion and the META Games Industry Index 2021 big reveal below.
The META Industry Index digital report features all the successful nominees that judges identified as exceling in innovation, diversity and longevity, along with 7 'one-to-watch' businesses with the potential to be the Index Heroes of the future.
The index attracted nominations from independent companies working on a wide range of games technology applications. They include employee training, 3D modelling and bringing art and board games to life. Others develop interactive games as a vehicle for exploring social and emotional issues, connection, or for pure entertainment.
META judges and ambassadors spanned the full spectrum of gaming in the UK and beyond, and included:
Sir Ian Livingstone, Sumo plc, Hiro Capital
Sam Collins, Ukie
Bobby Thandi, XR Games
Colin Macdonald, Games Jobs Live
Sally Blake, Silent Games
Andy Payne, British Esports Association
Sam Read, Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership
Jess Crawford, Animex.
As well as deciding on the 41 successful index businesses and seven ones-to-watch, the judges also highlighted four business leaders to profile in more depth: Joanna Haslam Design Director at Snap Finger Click, Alex Sonaris-Kotiriou Creative Director at Polygon Treehouse, Jonny Hopper Founder and Tech Lead at Glowmade, and Justin French Founder and CEO of Dream Harvest.
Their video interviews join industry reflections on important issues relating to gaming companies in the UK including investment, skills, diversity, intellectual property, sustainability and exit strategies.
UMi’s Chief Executive, Nicki Clark, said: “The report amplifies the fact that the British games sector is demonstrating incredible leadership and innovation right across the UK. Exciting times!”
“The UK has earned its reputation as one of the best places in the world to make games because of the breadth of businesses successfully operating across the country. The META Games Industry Index plays an important role in highlighting that strength in depth, showing how the industry is creating both captivating games and the technologies that are helping shape society as a whole.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of UkieTim Repa-Davies, Partner in the Interactive, Advertising and Creative Design group at Sheridans, said: “The Sheridans Games team takes tremendous pride in supporting and advising independent game developers and start-up games businesses through all stages of their growth. The best part of working in the games industry is the people, and it is great to see the META Games Industry Index shine a light on the best game development talent out there.”
Oliver Kicks, Associate at RLC Ventures, added: “At RLC we are delighted to be supporting UMi and the wider early-stage UK Games Industry. As active pre-seed investors, we partner with founders and companies at the earliest stages of their journeys and are delighted to share our experience and network with, as well as learn from, the incredible talent produced by the wider ecosystem.”
Next steps...
- Read the META Games Industry Index.
- Find out more about the campaign founder UMi.
- Discover how headline partner Ukie supports the games industry.
- Learn about the support available from campaign partners RLC Ventures and Sheridans.
Article published 25 January, 2022.