A recent census carried out by game developers' representative body Tiga and released yesterday at the House of Commons has revealed that 80% of UK-based studios are concentrating their efforts on creating titles for digital distribution only.
The census which covered 278 UK studios working on new and upcoming games highlighted that since the last census in July 2008, although 131 video game companies closed their doors, 145 opened in their place with 84% of those firms being developers.
The census also discovered that compared to the figures of the previous census that saw the number of people employed in games development totalling 9,900, that number as of the this year's census from October 10th showed that number had declined to 9,010.
Would it bother you if all future games end up being available by digital download only? Or will you always want a nice collection of cases on your shelves to show visitors? And what do you think of the declining numbers of employees in the UK games industry? Any thoughts, feel free to post them down below.
Source: Develop
The census which covered 278 UK studios working on new and upcoming games highlighted that since the last census in July 2008, although 131 video game companies closed their doors, 145 opened in their place with 84% of those firms being developers.
The census also discovered that compared to the figures of the previous census that saw the number of people employed in games development totalling 9,900, that number as of the this year's census from October 10th showed that number had declined to 9,010.
Would it bother you if all future games end up being available by digital download only? Or will you always want a nice collection of cases on your shelves to show visitors? And what do you think of the declining numbers of employees in the UK games industry? Any thoughts, feel free to post them down below.
Source: Develop
Comments
irritant 23 Nov 2010 14:43
1/4
Digital distribution is the future. It has benefits for hardware manufacturers and for developers. Publishers, distributers and retail might not like it but their views don't really count in the long run. Developers have had pretty poor returns on their work over the years in comparison to publishers and retailers have robbed them blind in recent years with trade-ins. It's about time the tide was turned.
I do have a DSiWare game set for release in the near future, so my views may be a little one sided ;-)
I do have a DSiWare game set for release in the near future, so my views may be a little one sided ;-)
ghoti 23 Nov 2010 16:18
2/4
With net neutrality on the way out, ISPs may well become the leech that replaces high street retail.
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JoesoMelono 23 Nov 2010 21:34
3/4
I hope not! I still love to hoard all my old game boxes and look at them, then when i move house i love to pack them all up and cart them around in big boxes as my partner says how "i never really play them all" what does she know?
SPInGSPOnG 24 Nov 2010 07:28
4/4
Partners do that. It's what they do. Mine used to say the same about my vinyl records and look at... oh, yeah.