On the latest episode of the podcast, we speak with the Head of Communications at Ukie, George Osborn. They discuss advocating on behalf of the sector, the case for targeted investment into games by government, and the need to protect small to medium-sized studios from the impacts of COVID-19 moving forward.
“As a trade body, we try to cover the full life cycle of the industry. From that moment when someone first becomes interested in games, our hope is to inspire that person, whoever they are and from whatever background they come from, to take their first steps and get the right skills to get into the industry. We want them to join it, get their first role, get the support to become a key figure within our sector, or give them the confidence to go and create their own business,” says George. That’s a key component of what Ukie is all about, empowering developers to have the funds and the means to create, no matter their size. “The vast majority of our members have fewer than 20 employees, and 99.5% of video game businesses within the UK are actually small to medium-sized enterprises. We have to make sure that those plucky developers, who would have had more than a fighting chance in normal circumstances, have the support they need to keep themselves going during this strange and uncertain time.”
