With so many businesses looking for new ways to reach new audiences, many are looking to the games industry or rather video games to stay ‘with it’ and ‘relevant’. 

The industry is predicted to rise significantly in the coming years as big names including Netflix and Gucci have all embraced the world of video games to connect with new and existing audiences. You can even find branded slot games on UK's best casino sites.

London is Centre of Gaming World

In April of this year London was the centre of the gaming world as the London Games Festival took place across venues in the UK capital.

Since 2016, the event has supported over 1,000 games companies and generated £90m worth of business for participants, and in turn created nearly 600 jobs.

The figures were impressive for the 2024 festival:

• 100,000+ in-person attendees
• 300+ games showcased 
• 4,100+ industry professionals attended 
• £30M in the business pipeline post LGF24

No surprise that games are the UK’s biggest entertainment industry worth a staggering £7bn.

The number of games businesses in London has doubled in a decade with an estimated 700 businesses now established in and around the city.

London has led the way since 2022 with the world’s first major games exhibition, Barbican’s Game On, opened in 2002.

Cultural Organisations Getting Involved With Video Gaming

Several leading cultural organisations also joined the games revolution championing game design. They include:

• BFI 
• BAFTA 
• V&A

London based studios are now recognised for the games they make, which have been described as bold, distinctive, and diverse.

Art galleries are also getting in on the act. Places as unique and popular as the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park have created an experimental video game. Even the Royal Opera House hosted a hyper reality opera.

The National Gallery commissioned playable art pieces, which would have connected with a younger generation who may find staring at a canvas on a wall a little too slow paced.

UK Leading the Way in European Market 

The United Kingdom (UK) is the leading video game market in Europe and one of the five largest video game markets worldwide.

A series of lockdowns (Covid-19) has been attributed to the growth in the video gaming industry, as more and more people turned towards digital forms of entertainment like online slots and video games.

In 2022, video game revenue in the UK surpassed eight billion U.S. dollars, which is almost double the spending compared to 2017.

Streaming and Esports on the Rise in UK 

Streaming has become a fundamental part of the UK’s gaming landscape.

The number of UK eSports users is projected to increase to over 22 million in 2028. That is a predicted third or so of the population at current population levels recorded by the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Big names from the games industry and elsewhere who took part in 2024 included:

• Chris Dring – Head of Games Industry
• Anna Mansa Director of Video Games and Certification – BFI
• Simon Monkman, Gaming and Extremism Lead – Ofcom
• Ruben Veiga, Development Community Manager -Roblox
• Dr Tommy Thompson, Founder – AI & Games
• Yuquian Sun, AI Artist – Royal Academy of Art

These were just a few of the impressive names on the schedule for the 2024 LGF.

Games London is supported by the Mayor of London and delivered by Film London in partnership with Ukie.

#LGF24 takes place 9 April to 25 April.