"They did absolutely nothing" — gaming companies criticized the UK authorities for weak support of the industry
The UK National Video Game Council, which includes representatives from various gaming companies, is dissatisfied with the level of government support in the UK. In their opinion, the government pays very little attention to the game development industry.
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Members of the council made this statement during the Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 conference. Notably, among them were leaders from Miniclip, Chucklefish, JECO, The Games Angels, and the trade organization UKIE.
During the themed round table, Miniclip CEO Saad Choudri acknowledged that the British gaming industry has seen significant growth over the past 30 years. However, he is convinced that this is not due to the authorities' contributions. Choudri believes that the growth was primarily achieved through the developers' own efforts.
Choudri added that in some other countries, the situation with government support is much better. As an example, he cited Turkey, where the authorities compensate developers for some of their marketing expenses. Co-founder of JECO Emily Bailey agreed with this sentiment. She called the situation in the UK "frankly shocking" and pointed out that even countries with far less developed economies have good support programs for gaming companies.
Notably, both Choudri and Bailey stated that they would not open a studio in the UK at present.
Recall that in June 2025, the UK government announced the expansion of its program to fund local game startups. It was reported that over the next three years, the government would spend 30 million pounds on it. Shortly after this announcement, the National Video Game Council was created to assist the UK authorities in developing the gaming industry in the country.