Previously only open to membership for corporations or institutions, UK game industry group TIGA will launch the ability for individual game industry employees to join its ranks this fall.

Those working in the games industry will be allowed to join TIGA at that time, including students, freelancers and contractors. Members will receive access to TIGA’s discount platform, network events, seminars and career counseling.

TIGA Chief Dr. Richard Wilson stated, “TIGA wants to help both aspiring games developers and those already working in the industry to fulfill their career ambitions.”

He added, “We intend to support the next wave of creative individuals and successful interactive companies in the UK. Further details will be announced when the service launches later this year.”

UK public-service broadcaster Channel 4 is pumping some timely funds into the Dundee, Scotland economy, just a week or so after that city’s RealTime Worlds entered into administration.

According to the Herald Scotland (thanks The Escapist), the one million pound infusion (approximately $1.55 million U.S.) will be used to commission “apps and games” based on the TV shows Come Dine With Me and Peep Show from Tag Games, as well as a Facebook game from Dynamo Games, which will draw on various Channel 4 shows such as Gok Wan’s How To Look Good Naked.
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An excellent piece on the UK’s Telegraph website rips Defense Secretary Liam Fox for his prattle about EA’s upcoming Medal of Honor game, while also outlining the impact Fox’s comments will have on game sales and how such attacks by “outsiders” raise the cackles hackles of gamers.

Fox totally missed the boat in his condemnation of the game as he argued for its ban in the UK, claiming that the game was “un-British,” even though British forces do not factor into the game at all.

If Fox wanted to make a reasonable argument about the game, as Nick Cowen explains, he could have chosen a different tack: Read More

Following last week's news that Dundee, Scotland-based game developer Realtime Worlds had entered into administration, that region of the UK was in need of some good news, not to mention an infusion of jobs, and now, help just might be on the way.

Developer Eutechnyx, best known for its output of racing games like Big Mutha Truckers, Street Racing Syndicate and Supercar Challenge is looking to add a new studio to its repertoire and wants to put it in Dundee.

In a press release on its website, the company said that after securing “substantial investment earlier this year for its latest MMO Auto Club Revolution,” the company “has gone through one of the biggest periods of growth in its 23 year history.”
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After accusing a member of a UK law firm of sending bullying letters to suspected (and often completely innocent) file sharers, a consumer magazine is proudly trumpeting news that a member of the firm will have to answer to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).

Which? Magazine has been dogged in its pursuit of Andrew Crossley and ACS Law Solicitors, a firm that “specialises in assisting intellectual property rights holders exploit and enforce their rights globally.” The complaint filed by Which? with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) revolved around a May 2009 incident in which ACS Law allegedly engaged in “bullying” and “excessive” actions towards the public, sending out thousands of letters accusing people of illegally downloading and sharing copyrighted material over peer-to-peer networks.
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After staying on top of the UK retail charts for 41 weeks, Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has earned the distinction of being the best-selling retail game "ever" in the United Kingdom. The game took down the previous record holder, Brain Training.

According to retail tracking data from Gfk Chart-Track, Modern Warfare 2 managed to stay in top ten for 38 out of 41 weeks - falling below that threshold last week. It probably didn't hurt the bottom line when the game moved 1.23 million copies on the day of release and brought in around £47 million ($77.85 million) for Activision in the UK; in the U.S. the game grossed around $550 million in its first five days of release.

A pretty impressive accomplishment for Activision and Infinity Ward, though most of the people that worked on it no longer work at the wholly-owned Activision studio. Let's see if the new IW is capable of filling the shoes worn by the founding members of Respawn Entertainment.

Upset over the ability to play as the Taliban in multiplayer modes of Electronic Arts’ upcoming Medal of Honor game, UK Defense Secretary Liam Fox has called for retailers in that country to forego selling the game.

Fox’s full rant appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Times, which is behind a pay wall, but fortunately CVG (thanks Cheater87) transcribed some of Fox’s thoughts on the game.

After calling the opportunity to play as the Taliban “disgusting,” Fox continued:

It's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban.

I am disgusted and angry. It's hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game.

I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product. Read More

Hungry? Have a stack of old videogames? Live near a Tesco store? Then you might be in luck.

MCVUK is reporting that at least 60 Tesco stores are now accepting videogame trade-ins and the resulting store credits can be used to purchase anything in the store. Among a sampling of prices being offered: £12 (approximately $19 U.S.) for 2010 FIFA World Cup on the PlayStation 3, £17 (approximately $26 U.S.)  for Mario Kart Wii and £19 (approximately $29 U.S.)  for the Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption.

The purchased traded-in games will be available for consumers to buy used in the stores as well.

Select the pre-owned games check box on the Tesco store locator to find a location accepting trade-ins near you.

Calling it “terrible news,” UK game industry group TIGA has reacted to word that  Scottish developer Realtime Worlds is going into administration with a call for action directed at the "Scottish videogames industry in particular and the UK games sector in general.”

TIGA CEO Dr. Richard Wilson called for Games Tax Relief to be introduced at the “earliest opportunity,” the beefing up of R&D tax credits and the formation of business incubators which could assist with the formation of a “new wave” of videogame development firms.

Wilson also stated that games clusters “should be consciously supported” and that higher education should be adequately funded with a renewed focus on STEM subjects.
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While net neutrality is all the rage in America, Europe - and specifically the United Kingdom - don't seem to be all that concerned with discussing it. But a recent interview with broadband service provider BT might change all that.. Speaking to BBC Click, BT Retail's commercial director Jon Hurry said that the company gives its television content priority among its web services. 

A separate discussion called the prioritization of its TV an "internet bus lane" – in other words, reserved bandwidth. BT argues that this gives everyone -even those with slower connections - solid and steady web-based television.

First, here is what John Hurry told BBC Click:

"[A]t the moment with our TV service, BT Vision, we deliver entertainment content, video, at peak time to consumers via our network and we prioritise the traffic in order to be able to do this."

A further inquiry by the BBC to BT didn't clarify anything - excerpt from the BBC blog post about it: Read More

While we’ve been using data from the Entertainment Software Association of Canada to crown our neighbors to the north as the world’s third-largest home to videogame development for a few months, trade association TIGA seems to have just recognized that claim as official, and used it to lash out at UK politicians.

TIGA said that UK politicians have been “asleep at the wheel” while Canada, and other countries, cherry pick UK talent with incentives. TIGA Chief Dr. Richard Wilson said that there was “nothing inevitable about this process,” and added: Read More

UK therapist and sports psychologist Steve Pope, who earlier this year compared playing games for two hours to taking a line of cocaine (in terms of the high it produces), has resurfaced in a Daily Star article, in which he claims that videogame addiction is rampant among soccer players.

In its article, the Star claims that Joe Cole, David James, and Cesc Fabregas have all admitted to “spending hours glued to their consoles,” but notes that “there is no indication they are among those receiving help or that their game has suffered.”

This is where Pope pops in, alleging that players from Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal have videogame addiction problems. Pope, who serves as sport psychologist for the soccer team Fleetwood Town, recounted: Read More

Following a “comprehensive” survey of 78 UK-based game developers, industry group TIGA is meting out statistics that paint a picture of the industry in broad brushstrokes.

The average size of a publisher-owned studio, according to the State of the UK Video Games Development Sector report, was 245 people, versus 45 for the average indie developer and 51 people for the indie developer who also publishes their own titles.

88 percent of all workers in the industry were male, while 12 percent were non-UK citizens.

The average game development house has been in business for seven years.

On average, developers spent £570,800 (approximately $910,000 U.S.) to develop a game, though there was great disparity between averages for indie developers, who spent £897,700 (approximately $1.431 million U.S.) per game, publisher owned studios, which spent £3,000,000 (approximately $4.782 million U.S.) and indie developers who also publish, which spent £133,700 (approximately $213,093 U.S.) per game.

The UK’s first Communication Champion for kids thinks that long car rides are the perfect chance for children to “double their vocabulary,” but that the proliferation of in-car entertainment devices like games and DVD players, if enacted during a trip, eliminate any chance for growth.

Jean Gross issued the warning, stating that kids from affluent families, who were more likely to be able to outfit their cars with the electronic devices in question, were more at risk.

Gross stated:

I remember [when my children were little] we did spotting games in the car, but with the Nintendo DS and other hand-held video games it's going to be more affluent parents whose children have problems learning to speak, not just those from poorer homes who have less exposure to a wide range of language. Read More

R4 cards, which allow Nintendo DS owners to run their own code, homebrew applications and, in some cases, illegal copies of games, have been outlawed in the UK.

MCVUK carries word that a London High Court issued the ruling in a case against Playables Limited, decreeing that the R4 cards are now illegal to import, advertise or sell. Defendant Wai Dat Chan had attempted to argue that the cards should be legal since they allow users to run homebrew applications, but the court ruled that “the R4 must first must circumvent Nintendo’s security systems before it can work, therefore making it illegal.”

Nintendo, which apparently was the plaintiff in the case, issued a statement saying “Nintendo initiates these actions not only on its own behalf, but also on behalf of over 1,400 video game development companies that depend on legitimate sales of games for their survival.”
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The CBI, a self-proclaimed advocate of and lobbying organization for UK creative industries, has issued a manifesto which serves up detailed recommendations on how to stimulate expansion within that sector.

Entitled Creating Growth: A Blueprint for the Creative Industries (PDF), the document puts the onus on elected officlas, stating that “The government should develop a strategy to deliver the right business environment.”

Among its suggestions, the CBI wrote that the government must: Read More

Only the Daily Star could make the New York Post look like the New York Times.

We’re a little late to this one, but last week that bastion of accurate reporting, the UK’s Daily Star, ran an article insinuating that Rockstar was making a Grand Theft Auto game based on the criminal actions committed earlier this month by ex-con Raoul Moat, who killed one and injured three across a six-day spree throughout the NorthEast UK. 

GTA Rothbury, as the game was called by Star writer Jerry Lawton, contained a series of animated quotes from relatives of the victims, outraged by the thought of a game, book or movie based on the criminal’s exploits, as reported up by CVG.

The story was eventually taken off the Star’s website entirely (since it was made up) and the newspaper issued an apology (thanks again CVG) stating: Read More

UK Chancellor George Osborne announced today that he would review support for the research and development tax credits for the videogame industry this fall. In a letter to Joe Fitzpatrick, MSP for Dundee West, Osborne reiterated his support for tax credits for the game industry, saying that he "recognises that there has been a relative decline in the tax competitiveness of the UK" and that "the UK’s R&D tax credit schemes provide an internationally competitive tax regime for R&D activity, providing nearly £800 million of relief and supporting around 7500 innovative companies each year, including companies in the videogames industry."

Osborne said that the government will consult with "business in autumn 2010 to review the taxation of intellectual property, the support R&D tax credits provide for innovation and the proposals of the Dyson review."

Meanwhile, MSP Fitzpatrick said that he will encourage the video game industry to make a stronger case for tax breaks after Osbourne took them out of the budget earlier in the year. Fitzpatrick's Dundee constituency includes Realtime Worlds and Denki. Read More

Gameindustry.biz reports that the United Kingdom's Department for Culture, Media and Sport will lay off 35 - 50 percent of its staff, following a proposal to the treasury by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. According to the report, Hunt's plan is to scale back the 590 strong workforce by 35 to 50 percent, according to The Guardian, and will downsize his own personal space to a smaller office. If the plan goes through, cuts could range between 206 - 290 people when it is complete.

Gameindustry.biz opines that the long-term effects on government's support for culture and arts could be staggering and that the department is already one of the least funded in the government at £2.1 billion. This could either slow or completely stymie efforts to secure government backed incentives for the games industry in the long term. Read More

Danielle Parr, the executive director of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada says that his country's game industry and government can do anything they want to entice game developers to the great white north because "all's fair in love and war." While UK developers and government officials have been vocal about Canada's mission to "steal" developers from the region and bring them home, Parr, like a Jerry Springer guest, has no problem enticing talent to another bedroom.

While at Develop last week, Parr told BBC's Politics Show with a smile and a laugh that she sees no problem with it: Read More

MCVUK carries word from the Video Standards Council (VSC) that a mandatory shift to the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) ratings system in the UK will not be legally enforceable until April 1, 2011.

The UK’s Digital Economy act dictated that PEGI would become the single system for rating games, replacing a current implementation that utilizes PEGI in conjunction with British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) ratings.

While the Digital Economy bill passed in April of this year, the delay was blamed on it not yet being “made effective.” A portion of a statement MCV obtained from the VFC reads: Read More

During the Women in Games track of the Develop conference in Brighton this week the UK government voiced its concerns about the hiring practices of games industry when it comes to women. Speaking of inequality in hiring practices, Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equalities, expressed concern that the UK industry hurts itself by not tapping into the pool of talent based on gender.

In the letter the Minister highlighted the importance of seeking a "greater gender balance in the workplace," and warns that some companies "risk being uncompetitive" if they fail to address the problem. Read More

A trade group representing the music industry in the United Kingdom wants internet service providers in the region to pay a fee to combat piracy. The group, PRS for Music, represents around 65,000 songwriters and publishers and is also comprised of another group - the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society.

The group proposes that ISPs either combat unlicensed media files on their networks or pay a fee to blanket license copyrighted material and offer it to its users. In other words, copyright enforcement becomes the job of ISPs. The organization also suggests an alternative where ISPs could be charged for "blanket licenses" so that they can "determine for themselves how best to capture the raw value of media on networks." Read More

Gathering up the strength to appear at the UK’s Develop Conference despite the government removing game industry tax incentives from its emergency budget, Shadow Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey walked a fine line—claiming that he championed the games biz, yet endorsing George Osborne’s plan to focus on the greater and more immediate financial needs of the UK.

In recounting a question to Vaizey about Games Tax Relief being offered in the future, the Guardian wrote that Vaizey was “non-committal, but offered a glimmer of hope." The MP stated, “I can't emphasise enough that I'm not the chancellor; it's just that in my view the treasury is always open to rational argument.”
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Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) Director General Michael Rawlinson will also now serve as Vice Chairman of the Alliance Against IP Theft.

Rawlinson previously served as Treasurer for the organization for two years. The Alliance Against IP Theft was founded in 1998 in order to make certain that “intellectual property rights receive the protection they need and deserve. Members include ELSPA, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the British Video Association (BVA), the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Video Standards Council (VSC).

The appointment, it was said, would “ensure the continuing representation of the interactive entertainment industry in the field of intellectual property.”
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The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) and fellow industry group TIGA have joined forces in order to apply further pressure to the UK government for videogame developer tax breaks.

Members of both organizations, along with specialists from the law, tax and public affairs domains, have already formed a steering committee. Led by TIGA, the committee will “review the existing TIGA submission with a view to enhancing the arguments, evidence and justification for the government to provide a tax break for the sector for the production of qualifying videogames and interactive entertainment products.”

ELSPA board members from the following game companies backed the move: 505 Games, Activision, Disney, Electronic Arts, Mastertronic, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment, Square Enix and Warner Brothers.

The UK’s emergency budget, introduced in June, contained no provisions for game developer tax incentives.
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Attendees of a recent Game Horizon Conference in the UK last week found mock Canadian passports on their seats in a stunt designed highlight Canada’s pro-game developer tax incentives. The timing of the marketing initiative however—coming less than a fortnight after similar tax breaks were killed in the UK—managed to rankle a few feathers.

One anonymous British developer told CVG that the promotion, put on by the relocation firm Quickstar Global, made Canada seem like “vultures.” The source stated, “As a British developer it makes me disappointed and angry to see the Canadian government agencies circling the UK like vultures as soon as word was out that the Government u-turned on our tax breaks.”

Another source bemoaned “Are things now so tight that we can't find British companies to sponsor our events rather than having the Canadian Government preying on our talent and companies?”

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At least a few UK publishers may be concerned that any tax incentives invoked for developers could have a trickle down effect and cause problems in other areas of their business.

Develop details the feared repercussions, one of which centers around the “cultural” elements of tax breaks, which could lead to games being classified as audiovisual products—instead of software—possibly leading to a rise in taxes placed on the goods and higher prices for the end user.

The article calls such concerns “routinely rubbished,” but says that, despite that, such worries remain “prevalent across certain industry groups, bodies and companies.”

The apprehension goes back to a 2008 tax relief proposed in France, which was openly opposed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) over fears of a reclassification of games as AV products.

As Develop further explained: Read More

Videogame industry group TIGA was the recipient of a pair of awards at the UK’s annual Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards.

TIGA grabbed the prestigious Trade Association of the Year 2010 in addition to the Member Recruitment Award. The group was also a finalist in three additional categories—Sector Representation Award, Website of the Year Award and Annual Report of the Year.

TIGA head Richard Wilson stated, “We are absolutely delighted by these awards and commendation. It is a huge honour to be awarded Trade Association of the Year and something we have worked very hard to achieve.”

Wilson also thanked the TIGA team, specifically Lorna Evans, Nisha Valand, Eva Field, Vanessa Joyce and Suzi Stephenson, for “all their hard work and dedication.”

Executives from two of the world’s largest videogame publishers indicated that removal of tax breaks for game developers from the UK’s budget could have an impact on their plans to expand in the region.

Activision Blizzard Chief Bobby Kotick, told the Financial Times, “The talent pool in the UK is among the best in the world for what we do. But we really need to see some more incentives. We are seeing great incentives in Canada, Singapore and eastern bloc countries.” Activision currently employs about 700 people in the UK.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), which has a trio of studios employing around 1,200 might also rethink its strategy in light of incentives being pulled off the table. UK Managing Director Ray Maguire said, “The existing plans will continue but any further new developments would have to be looked at. Maybe something that was planned for the UK would go abroad now.”
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