Key insights
7 slides
The new body
A single industry voice in national policy was formed in August 2025.
The UK Video Games Council was established in August 2025 with DCMS as an industry-led body. It is chaired by Nick Button-Brown, with Kirsty Rigden as Deputy Chair.
Structure. The Council operates without a budget, staff or legal entity.
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- 01The UK Video Games Council, established in August 2025 with DCMS and chaired by Nick Button-Brown (Deputy Chair Kirsty Rigden), is the sector's first single, coordinated, industry-led voice in national policy, though it operates without a budget, staff or legal entity.See it on page 3
- 02The Council secured ONS SIC code recognition for games, enabling better tracking of industry statistics, and cut HMRC processing times for Video Games Expenditure Credit claims to commonly six to eight weeks.See it on page 4
- 03Funding gains include raising the UK Games Fund grant ceiling to £100,000 and the Content Fund to £250,000, and the British Business Bank's £500 million ENABLE Guarantee now supports IP-backed lending to games companies.See it on page 4
- 04The Games Angels investment vehicle has backed four companies, with two more in the pipeline.See it on page 4
- 05A sign-up effort gathered letters of support from more than 200 studios within 48 hours of launch, contributing to rising ministerial engagement alongside a "Made in the UK" campaign and a parliamentary reception.See it on page 4
- 06Upcoming milestones include a five-to-ten-year UK Games Growth strategy due in October 2026, a target of 300 signatory companies, and the Government's 2027 Spending Review, for which the Council plans a coordinated package of proposals.See it on page 5
- 07The Council's central concern is retaining economic value in the UK, a sector it considers one of the strongest in the world.See it on page 3
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Summary
The UK Video Games Council's first annual report reviews its inaugural year and sets out its plans for the next. Established in August 2025 as an industry-led body convened with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Council was created to give the UK games sector a single, coordinated and independent voice in national policy. It works alongside Ukie and TIGA and draws its membership from large studios and publishers, independents, mobile developers, platform holders and regional representatives, chaired by Nick Button-Brown with Kirsty Rigden as Deputy Chair. The report frames the Council's first year as proof that a unified industry voice can gain traction in Westminster, while acknowledging that the Council operates without a budget, staff or legal entity.
Key achievements span several policy areas. The Council secured SIC code recognition for games within the ONS framework, which will enable better tracking of industry statistics, and HMRC processing times for Video Games Expenditure Credit claims were cut to commonly six to eight weeks. Funding improvements included raising the UK Games Fund grant ceiling to £100,000 and the Content Fund to £250,000, while the British Business Bank's £500 million ENABLE Guarantee now supports IP-backed lending to games companies. The Games Angels investment vehicle has backed four companies, with two more in the pipeline. A "Made in the UK" campaign, a parliamentary reception and a sign-up effort that secured letters of support from more than 200 studios within 48 hours of launch all contributed to rising ministerial engagement.
Looking ahead, the report identifies a series of fixed points, including the publication of a five-to-ten-year UK Games Growth strategy in October 2026, a target of 300 signatory companies, the Autumn Statement, the National Lottery Review, BBC charter renewal and the release of GTA VI from Edinburgh in November 2026. The Council's principal political milestone is the Government's Spending Review in 2027, for which it plans to present a coordinated package of proposals. The report's central concern is retaining value in the UK, where the sector is recognised as one of the strongest in the world.
