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WEATHERING THE STORM: TIGA RESEARCH REVEALS UK GAMES DEV SECTOR CONTINUES TO GROW, DESPITE GLOBAL SECTOR DOWNTURN

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TIGA’S Making Games in the UK 2024 report reveals that UK development sector grew 4.8 per cent despite global sector downturn, led by large console studios in London, North East and North West

LONDON, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The UK games development sector has grown in the past year, despite companies downsizing and studio closures, according to new research published today by TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry.

Despite the global games industry downturn, the UK games development sector grew 4.8 per cent in the12 months to May 2024, according to new research published today by TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry.

Against a backdrop of companies downsizing and studio closures, the UK’s games development sector proved to be comparatively resilient, growing to 25,419* full time equivalent development roles by May 2024, which, at 4.8 per cent, was the lowest annualised rate of growth in the UK games industry since 2012.

The UK’s fastest growing games clusters in the 12 months to May 2024 were London (468 new staff), North East (280 staff)and North West (247 staff), but 5 regions contracted.

The findings come from TIGA’s definitive report on the state of the UK video games industry Making Games in the UK 2024 (TIGA, 2024), which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses, with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.

TIGA’s research shows that in the period from April 2023 to May 2024:

Over 28,500 people make games professionally in the UK: The number of freelancers working for UK games development sector companies (including studios, publishers and service companies) grew substantially from 1,102 (April 2023) to 3,625 (May 2024) as very large companies downsized full-time roles and switched to freelancers. The total games development workforce grew to 28,516 including 3,625 freelancers and 24,891** full time development roles. Employment in the games development sector has grown by an average of 9.5 per cent every year over the period December 2014 to May 2024.Job growth outweighed company downsizing and closure: 400 extant companies shed 2,353 full time development jobs between April 2023 and May 2024; but 678 companies grew over the same period, adding 3,932 full time development jobs. 1,070 extant companies neither grew nor shed staff.Overall games company numbers declined: The UK had 2,148 trading games development companies in May 2024 (down from 2,175 in April 2023). This includes 1,697 games studios, 60 publisher studios, 109 publishers, 4 broadcasters and 278 service companies. Total studio numbers fell from 1,801 in April 2023 to 1,757 in May 2024.Games company mortality rises to record levels: 248 companies closed down or exited the games industry during the survey period, the highest ever recorded. On an annualised basis, this represents 10.4 per cent of all companies during the research period.The number of start-up studios fell: 166 new games development companies were founded between April 2023 and May 2024. This compares to 251 new games development companies that were set up between December 2021 and April 2023.Large and console studios are main growth drivers: Studios with 41 to 149 development staff grew at an average rate of 19 per cent over the research period. Console studios grew by an average of 18.1 per cent over the same time frame.Overseas owned studios now employ 62 per cent of the UK games development workforce: Studios ultimately owned by overseas companies employ 12,743 full-time staff, compared to 7,854 employed by domestically owned studios. While some overseas studios continued to grow strongly, some of the largest employers’ creative headcount fell substantially as entire teams were made redundant.

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA, said:

“The UK games development sector has continued to grow in very difficult economic circumstances. Our sector is weathering the storm. This is a remarkable achievement.  Our games development sector has a number of strengths including world-renowned studios, a deep talent pool and TIGA accredited games courses equipping highly skilled graduates for the industry. The UK has the largest development workforce in Europe.

“We need to enable more start-ups to scale-up, continue to enhance our skills base and improve access to investment to enable our sector to fulfil its potential. If the UK Government retains and enhances the Video Games Expenditure Credit, this will help to sustain a favourable environment for games development, create more high skilled jobs and boost investment. A successful video games industry will in turn contribute to the Government’s objective of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.”

Meanwhile, the TIGA report has highlighted that the UK’s fastest growing games clusters were London (468 new staff), North East (280 staff)and North West (247 staff).

London extended its lead as the largest cluster to 5,931 full time and full time equivalent staff in 584 companies. Five clusters (East of England, South East, East Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland) lost headcount between April 2023 and May 2024, the East Midlands for the second consecutive year. All areas saw reduced start-up activity, but London (81), South East (48) and the South West (22) added the most start-ups.

UK regions

2024 share of UK development
workforce

London

23 %

South East

18.7 %

North West

12.3 %

West Midlands

9.9 %

Scotland

9.3 %

North East

6.3 %

East of England

5.9 %

Yorkshire & Humber

5.8 %

East Midlands

4.5 %

South West

2.7 %

Northern Ireland

0.6 %

Wales

0.6 %

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:

“While London remains the biggest and fastest growing games cluster in the UK, almost 80% of all games development is carried out outside of the Capital. In addition, there has been impressive growth in the North East and North West between April 2023 and May 2024.

“At the same time, although London saw the greatest number of new start-ups, we also witnessed strong entrepreneurial activity in the South East.”

Jason Kingsley CBE, TIGA Chairman and CEO and Creative Director at Rebellion, offered:

“TIGA’s report is reflective of what is currently a challenging environment for some parts of the games industry. However, it also highlights that UK games development is faring better than certain areas of the global games industry. We need the Government to continue to improve the environment for games development in the UK so that our industry in turn can contribute to economic growth across the country.”

* Full time equivalent roles: FT roles above plus a pro-rated % of all the freelancers we recorded in the survey.

** Full time roles: 100% full time roles recorded by companies in our survey.

 

Notes to editors
The findings in this press release come from TIGA’s definitive report on the state of the UK video games industry Making Games in the UK 2024 (TIGA, 2024) which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses, with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.

Research methodology
Games Investor Consulting in conjunction with TIGA and its partners conducted surveys concluding in July 2008, September 2010, November 2011, December 2012, December 2013, December 2014, March 2016, November 2017, November 2018, April 2020, December 2021, April 2023 and May 2024 of all known games companies involved in the creation of games (including developers, publishers, publisher studios, service companies and broadcasters with games divisions) in the UK. Assessments of every database entry are made on a company-by-company basis with strict vetting and verification rules to ensure each entry is discrete (to prevent duplication via subsidiary or parent companies) and confirmed to be active in games development. The survey counts staff working in development and development support roles in games studios, games publishers and development service companies. A broad array of additional data is also captured including studio location, primary platform focus and company ownership structure as well as company start-ups and exits/closures.

Games development
Games development is defined as including all production staff, QA, support, localisation and technical staff but excludes admin, finance, sales, marketing and commercial staff not directly involved with games production. Full-time equivalent staff comprise multiple part-time staff aggregated based on typical usage throughout a year to represent a single full-time employee.

About TIGA
TIGA is the trade association for the UK video games industry.  Since 2010, TIGA has won 28 business awards and commendations. Our vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to develop video games. Our core purpose is to strengthen the games development and digital publishing sector. We achieve this by:

influencing Government policy via political representation to create a favourable business environment;driving excellence in education and skills through our accreditation programme, the TIGA Games Education Awards and our education conference; andpromoting best practices through our membership services, including the TIGA STAR Employer Award and the TIGA Games Industry Awards.

Get in touch:

Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org 
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/weathering-the-storm-tiga-research-reveals-uk-games-dev-sector-continues-to-grow-despite-global-sector-downturn-302304484.html

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Meta, Watsons Hong Kong, Hong Kong Life and OPTICAL 88 unlocked WhatsApp potential with Omnichat

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Create end-to-end customer journeys using WhatsApp Flows and ads that click to WhatsApp with Meta to accelerate business growthRedefine customer engagement with Omnichat’s WhatsApp membership system and enhance campaign tracking and optimisation through the Conversions APIWatsons Hong Kong integrated WhatsApp into the customer journey, from initial product discovery through to final purchase and payment, thereby offering customers a more convenient O+O experienceHong Kong Life revolutionised its interactions with customers by WhatsApp marketing, streamlining the acquisition of potential customers and elevating the overall customer experienceOPTICAL 88 leveraged WhatsApp’s direct messaging capabilities to create tailored, one-on-one conversations with customers, strengthening relationships and boosting satisfaction, resulting in an impressive 26% click-through rate on messages

HONG KONG, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Omnichat, an all-in-one omnichannel customer experience platform offering conversational commerce solutions, recently hosted a highly scalable conference titled “Unlocking Revenue Potential with Omnichannel Customer Experience”, which featured insights on delivering exceptional customer experiences via WhatsApp, with contributions from industry experts at the global social media giant Meta, international health and beauty retailer Watsons Hong Kong, the one-stop insurance and financial service provider Hong Kong Life, and the professional optical brand OPTICAL 88.

 

Omnichat, as the WhatsApp Business Solution Provider of Meta, introduced how its advanced omnichannel customer experience solutions empowered businesses to effortlessly drive customer loyalty and achieve personalisation through seamless journeys during the event. “Numerous businesses are seeking ways to streamline customer journeys, and WhatsApp Flows offers the perfect solution. Integrating WhatsApp Flows with marketing campaigns empowers businesses to design, build, and customise experiences. This provides customers a fast, simple way to complete tasks within a conversation, ultimately driving conversions and delivering better results,” said Alan Chan, Founder and CEO of Omnichat. The newly launched WhatsApp membership system offers brands and their customers a user-friendly loyalty solution by leveraging WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Hong Kong. “When constructing end-to-end customer journeys, loyalty is a crucial element that must not be overlooked. The WhatsApp membership system is designed to strengthen customer relationships through loyalty points, coupons, and membership cards, facilitating future re-engagement and encouraging potential repurchases.” Leveraging the power of Omni AI, auto-generated message content can be customised for various customer segments, enhancing efficiency in marketing and customer service while achieving personalisation. 

WhatsApp has the highest social media platform penetration rate of 79% in Hong Kong, according to the survey conducted by GWI. Driving engagement and growth across the customer lifecycle, the WhatsApp Business Platform plays a pivotal role in connecting with customers from discovery, consideration, purchase to re-engagement. “Meta has continually expanded the capabilities of business messaging to empower companies across various sectors to drive awareness, boost conversions, and create meaningful customer relationships for remarketing,” said Vicky Yiu, APAC Strategic Partnership Manager of Meta. “By creating a customised WhatsApp experience, WhatsApp Flows has achieved measurable results in generating more leads, appointments, and revenue directly within the platform, providing increased convenience for both businesses and their customers.” Meta also offers comprehensive tracking of the entire customer journey with the Conversions API. From the initial ads that lead to WhatsApp engagement, through subsequent WhatsApp interactions, to the final conversion, businesses can now generate actionable insights and fine-tune their advertising strategies with precision.

Prolog Leung, Online Business Director of Watsons Hong Kong also shared in the seminar, “Watsons Hong Kong has successfully integrated WhatsApp commerce into its innovative O+O (Offline plus Online) retail strategy by seamlessly implementing Omnichat’s conversational commerce solution, streamlining the checkout process and delivering an unparalleled shopping experience. It bridges the gap between digital convenience and personalised service. We are now handling tremendous customer enquiries monthly via WhatsApp, minimizing the waiting time of customers to answer their enquiries. Our ‘Watsons Here For You’ service offers one-on-one consultations with pharmacists, Chinese medicine practitioners, and dietitians via WhatsApp. This seamless integration of digital and physical retail spaces allows our customers to engage with our brand at their convenience, not only boosting online engagement and sales but also driving foot traffic to our physical stores.” 

Hong Kong Life has revolutionised its marketing and customer service strategies by leveraging WhatsApp and Omnichat’s advanced messaging solutions. Initially implemented to manage multi-channel enquiries on social media platforms, Hong Kong Life had quickly realised the transformative potential of WhatsApp for business growth and customer experience enhancement. “We have uncovered the limitless potential of WhatsApp in our marketing and customer service. The automated chatbot can now efficiently handle over 90% of simple enquiries, allowing our team to focus on marketing and nurturing deeper customer relationships,” said Jonathan Ko, Chief Marketing Officer of Hong Kong Life. “We have strategically implemented interactive Q&A games via WhatsApp chatbots, incentivising participation with exclusive coupons. This not only enhances customer engagement but also significantly expands our WhatsApp database. Leveraging this growing database to deliver targeted marketing broadcasts, our campaigns have recorded a remarkable 70% read rate, substantially boosting business conversions.” 

OPTICAL 88 has further solidified its reputation for exceptional customer service by leveraging the WhatsApp Business Platform. This strategic move has not only enhanced communication efficiency but also instilled a greater sense of trust and convenience among customers, thanks to the platform’s authorised blue tick verification. Andrea Chan, Digital Marketing Manager of OPTICAL 88 emphasised the significance of this digital transformation, “Maintaining a close, personal connection between our sales team and customers is a cornerstone of our brand values. We have observed that regardless of demographic, our customers overwhelmingly prefer the immediacy and interactivity of WhatsApp over traditional email communications, resulting in up to 26% click-through rate on our messages.” OPTICAL 88 has also broadened its tactical approach beyond one-to-one communications. Andrea further explained, “By integrating omnichannel chatbots with our social media strategy, particularly for Facebook comment auto-replies, we have facilitated engaging social media campaigns while effectively driving online traffic to our physical stores.”

By seamlessly integrating automated systems with personalised human interactions, the comprehensive chat commerce solutions are revolutionising the way businesses interact with their customers across WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct, and setting new industry standards for customer experience excellence. 

About Omnichat:
Founded in 2017 with its headquarter in Hong Kong, Omnichat is an omnichannel chat commerce solution provider that centralises customers’ conversations from WhatsApp Business Platform, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, LINE, WeChat and website live chat into a single platform to enhance efficiency and productivity.

With a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, the company has established a solid reputation for serving local and international retail and e-commerce brands. By offering an omnichannel social customer data platform, online-merge-offline(OMO) sales integration, marketing automation, chatbots as well as customer service platform, Omnichat strives to empower brands to deliver personalised customer journeys and drive digital transformation, ultimately converting visitors into customers through chats.

Website: https://www.omnichat.ai/
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/85291925071/?text=EnquiryForWhatsApp
LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/omnichat-easychat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmnichatAI

For media enquiries, please contact:
Omnichat Limited
Lily Yeung
Associate Director of Communications
Tel: (852) 9803 5977
Email: lily.yeung@omnichat.ai

Macy Chun
Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 6234 9555
Email: macy.chun@omnichat.ai

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SOURCE Omnichat Limited

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AccuRadio Shields Listeners from ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ in 2024 Challenge

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CHICAGO, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — This holiday season, AccuRadio, one of the world’s leading online radio services, is stepping up to protect listeners from the ultimate seasonal pitfall: Hearing the song “The Little Drummer Boy.”

This Christmas, AccuRadio is helping music fans dodge the ultimate holiday pitfall: Hearing “The Little Drummer Boy”

“We have a foolproof plan to help our listeners stay safe from that song this holiday season,” announced Kurt Hanson, Founder and CEO of AccuRadio.

AccuRadio’s initiative supports the Little Drummer Boy Challenge — a playful annual game in which countless holiday music lovers aim to avoid hearing “The Little Drummer Boy” for as long as possible, from 12:01am local time on Black Friday through 11:59pm on December 23rd (per littledrummerboychallenge.com). The challenge, originally born in Silicon Valley tech circles, has become a cherished holiday tradition, uniting music fans across the globe.

To aid participants in their quest, AccuRadio is launching a set of “safe zone” Holiday Music channels that feature all the festive classics listeners love, with one notable exception: “The Little Drummer Boy” is completely off the playlist.

“We want holiday music fans to have a safe space to enjoy their favorite holiday songs without fear of losing the challenge,” Hanson said.

For those feeling mischievous, AccuRadio is also introducing a specially-disguised channel that will actually play nothing but dozens of versions of “The Little Drummer Boy,” perfect for pranking friends. “We call it getting drum-rolled,” explained Paul Maloney, AccuRadio’s VP/Programming.

Todd Manley, VP/Promotion at AccuRadio, emphasized the platform’s commitment to its listeners: “In a world where online safety can be challenging to find, we’re making it easy for holiday music fans to enjoy their season with true peace of mind.”

AccuRadio’s “safe zone” channels are a new addition this year to what is already the most extraordinary collection of holiday music channels available anywhere. AccuRadio offers over 125 curated (and personalizable) Christmas music channels focusing on specific genres, decades, regions, tempos, and themes—making it the ultimate destination for holiday music enthusiasts.

This amazing assortment of holiday music channels can be found on the web at www.accuradio.com/christmas-music and on AccuRadio’s iPhone and Android mobile apps.

About AccuRadio
Launched in 2000 (making it one of the earliest pioneers in online audio), AccuRadio offers over 1,400 human-curated music channels (spanning over 50 genres) to over a million adult, upscale, and loyal users each month.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accuradio-shields-listeners-from-the-little-drummer-boy-in-2024-challenge-302315954.html

SOURCE AccuRadio

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UPS Class Action News: Robbins LLP Reminds Investors of Quickly Approaching Lead Plaintiff Deadline in the United Parcel Service, Inc. Class Action

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SAN DIEGO, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Robbins LLP reminds investors that a class action was filed on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) securities between January 30, 2024 and July 22, 2024. UPS is a multinational parcel delivery and supply chain management solutions company operating in more than 200 countries and territories.

For more information, submit a form, email attorney Aaron Dumas, Jr., or give us a call at (800) 350-6003.

The Allegations: Robbins LLP is Investigating Allegations that United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) Misled Investors Regarding its Business Prospects

According to the complaint, during the class period, defendants created the false impression that they possessed reliable information pertaining to the Company’s projected revenue outlook and anticipated growth while also minimizing risk from seasonality and macroeconomic fluctuations. In truth, UPS’ optimistic reports of growth, plans to handle volume variability, upcoming profit growth, and consistent claims that the first quarter would present the worst margins of the fiscal year fell short of reality; the Company was not truly equipped to handle a volume surge without causing a corresponding significant decline in their operating margin.

Plaintiff alleges that the truth emerged on July 23, 2024, when UPS announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2024, provided lower-than-expected guidance for the third quarter, and reduced its margin guidance for the full fiscal year 2024. The Company attributed its results and lowered guidance on the shift in “U.S. volume mix both in terms of product and customer segmentation . . . toward value products.”  On this news, the price of UPS common stock fell from $145.18 per share on July 22, 2024, to close at $127.68 per share on July 23, 2024, a decline of $17.50 per share, or about 12.05% according to the complaint.

What Now: You may be eligible to participate in the class action against United Parcel Service, Inc. Shareholders who want to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must submit their application to the court by December 9, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.  You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here.

All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. 

About Robbins LLP: Some law firms issuing releases about this matter do not actually litigate securities class actions; Robbins LLP does. A recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, the attorneys and staff of Robbins LLP have been dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improve corporate governance structures, and hold company executives accountable for their wrongdoing since 2002.  Since our inception, we have obtained over $1 billion for shareholders.

To be notified if a class action against United Parcel Service, Inc. settles or to receive free alerts when corporate executives engage in wrongdoing, sign up for Stock Watch today.

Attorney Advertising.  Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.  

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SOURCE Robbins LLP

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