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London has become the third-largest hub for game makers globally, overtaking Canada’s hotspots and most of the US in total workforce.
Analysis by Unscrambled and BOP for Games London found that the UK capital is host to more than 13,700 total games professionals across mobile, PC, console, immersive entertainment and AI for games.
Los Angeles and San Francisco remain ahead at 22,600 and 14,100 industry professionals respectively.
Rising up the ranks
Findings suggested that London has “shot up” the leaderboard into third place this past year, with nearly half of all UK research and development roles based in the city making it the largest cluster for games industry jobs in the UK.
London has also become Europe’s biggest games hub in the last five years.
Furthermore, findings suggested that an additional 9,000 people in London work in associated sectors to games or have expanded their services to include them.
These figures were based on LinkedIn analysis – with the platform containing over one billion accounts where users worldwide have already detailed their careers – and more traditional workforce statistics.
Investments and industry
“London is now a global gaming capital and Europe’s leading city with a thriving industry bringing significant investment to our country,” said London mayor Sadiq Khan.
The Mayor announced further funding into Games London last week, extending investments by another four years. This decision marked a significant portion of a £10 million investment into London’s creative industries, expected to add £2.5 billion to its economy.
Games London itself has supported £110m worth of completed deals and games studios’ software sales since 2015. It suggested that for every £1 invested by the London mayor, there has been a £37 return for games companies.
Of course, London also serves as a bastion to many mobile game makers such as Woodoku developer Tripledot, Monument Valley maker ustwo games, and now even Supercell through its recent Space Ape acquisition. There are many other noteworthy names besides, as featured in our Top 50 UK Game Makers list.
