APB
Colin Macdonald, studio manager from Crackdown and APB dev Realtime Worlds, has added his voice to the chorus crying out for tax breaks in the UK games industry.
Speaking with Scotland-based STV, MacDonald said, "So far, we're doing really well, we're worried about the future in two year's, or five year's time. I mean the industry's doing really well at the moment, but we've dropped down to fourth place in the world in terms of games development, and we're going to drop down further if the government doesn't do something to help us".
He then referred, inevitably, to that place just north of the US border. "Canada offers up to about 40% tax incentive for companies setting up there, and it's brought about $1.5 billion worth of investment, so it works really well", he said. "I mean if you look at what the UK's produced, we've produced some of the world's most popular IP (intellectual property). Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Championship Manager, all these were made in the UK and we're going to get less and less of them if the industry keeps going into decline without government support".
Realtime Worlds is reportedly joining Tiga in a meeting with the Treasury in the coming weeks.
Tiga, of course, calls for UK tax breaks for the games industry at every opportunity it gets. It even took advantage of Free Radical's recent troubles to pipe up for government support.
In its piece STV also wrote, "Games Makers think of themselves as heroes against the credit crunch", which SPOnG thought was nice.
Check out Realtime World's studios in the video here.
Speaking with Scotland-based STV, MacDonald said, "So far, we're doing really well, we're worried about the future in two year's, or five year's time. I mean the industry's doing really well at the moment, but we've dropped down to fourth place in the world in terms of games development, and we're going to drop down further if the government doesn't do something to help us".
He then referred, inevitably, to that place just north of the US border. "Canada offers up to about 40% tax incentive for companies setting up there, and it's brought about $1.5 billion worth of investment, so it works really well", he said. "I mean if you look at what the UK's produced, we've produced some of the world's most popular IP (intellectual property). Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Championship Manager, all these were made in the UK and we're going to get less and less of them if the industry keeps going into decline without government support".
Realtime Worlds is reportedly joining Tiga in a meeting with the Treasury in the coming weeks.
Tiga, of course, calls for UK tax breaks for the games industry at every opportunity it gets. It even took advantage of Free Radical's recent troubles to pipe up for government support.
In its piece STV also wrote, "Games Makers think of themselves as heroes against the credit crunch", which SPOnG thought was nice.
Check out Realtime World's studios in the video here.
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Comments
James 23 Jan 2009 18:13
1/5
Won't happen, the UK gov doesn't understand the games industry (unless vaz is spouting crap or they are pandering to media headlines) I think the Tories understand it less.
SNP would no doubt embrace their homegrown industries and encourage investment but they don't have those powers in Scotland.
Pretty hilarious really, one of the few industries left in the UK that can generate such large profits (especially in a recession) and the government knows less about it than it does about their own financial strategy. Ahh well we've lost pretty much all our industries to other countries, one more won't matter really. I commend Italy, Germany, Japan etc on their protectionism methods.
SNP would no doubt embrace their homegrown industries and encourage investment but they don't have those powers in Scotland.
Pretty hilarious really, one of the few industries left in the UK that can generate such large profits (especially in a recession) and the government knows less about it than it does about their own financial strategy. Ahh well we've lost pretty much all our industries to other countries, one more won't matter really. I commend Italy, Germany, Japan etc on their protectionism methods.
Joji 23 Jan 2009 20:16
2/5
You are probably right, James. Its a shame, but will probably happen like you say.
It sure is ironic, because it will be too late when they realise what's happening. There will be no use in blaming other countries like Canada, for tempting away our devs with better offers. We'll just have to rebuild again.
When will our government learn? Maybe when they pick up a controller and open their minds.
It sure is ironic, because it will be too late when they realise what's happening. There will be no use in blaming other countries like Canada, for tempting away our devs with better offers. We'll just have to rebuild again.
When will our government learn? Maybe when they pick up a controller and open their minds.
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TimSpong 23 Jan 2009 22:21
3/5
James wrote:
I commend Italy, Germany, Japan etc on their protectionism methods.
It is the "etc" that kills the point.
cheers
Tim
James 24 Jan 2009 12:23
4/5
Tim Smith wrote:
James wrote:
I commend Italy, Germany, Japan etc on their protectionism methods.
It is the "etc" that kills the point.
cheers
Tim
Those 3 letters ruined my point? that's pretty shallow actually.
I could google all the countries in the world that employ protectionist methods in the benefit of their people but that's not really my job.
The UK is just a nation of consumers, we have very little industry left, we don't create any real wealth, it's the kind of wealth that can disappear over night. And this is another example of in the UK, which created the videogames industry selling it off or letting it disappear rather than nurture it.
OptimusP 24 Jan 2009 13:24
5/5
James wrote:
Tim Smith wrote:
James wrote:
I commend Italy, Germany, Japan etc on their protectionism methods.
It is the "etc" that kills the point.
cheers
Tim
Those 3 letters ruined my point? that's pretty shallow actually.
I could google all the countries in the world that employ protectionist methods in the benefit of their people but that's not really my job.
The UK is just a nation of consumers, we have very little industry left, we don't create any real wealth, it's the kind of wealth that can disappear over night. And this is another example of in the UK, which created the videogames industry selling it off or letting it disappear rather than nurture it.
You do know there's something like the EU right? and Italy, Germany and Britain are part of it. Now you also do know that EU consists on the principle of free market and thus creates laws to enforce it even if a lot of countries are against it and the Eu does a very tourough job of it too. Its marketlaws are so influential, american and asian companies adapt them to them.
Blame Britain's incapability to adapt instead. Britain lost it's car-industry because they let themselves be disrupted, the German, French and Italian adapted to the Japanese.
At least Britain adapted and became a international financial/entertainment hub. If taxbreaks are giving, it should be par tof a new program to rebuild the industry from the ground up, based on the new dominant TV-model and not on the movie-model the gaming industry follows.