SCOTLAND’S place as a centre of New Media excellence has been confirmed by it ranking third in a ‘league table’ of games developers, with one of its companies finishing top in the individual games studio list.
Finishing behind leaders, England, and second-placed France, Scotland’s ‘bronze medal’ followed a survey conducted by Next Generation, an online magazine for the sector, which has just announced its top 50 game studios.
It would have arguably been better had the survey not been restricted to the console and PC sectors, thus excluding developers working on mobile, online and digital
TV platforms.
What’s even more remarkable is that Scotland’s score is achieved by only two studios: Realtime Worlds and Rockstar North – famous for its Grand Theft Auto franchise and considered by Next Generation as the top game studio in Europe.
Events such as the Edinburgh Interactive Festival and Dare to be Digital have also helped to improve Scotland’s standing.
Says Brian Baglow, head of Indoctrimat, a games industry consultancy: “Scotland has been involved in the business of making games from the earliest days of the industry. As a country, we’ve been responsible for some of the biggest games and brands in the world. Today, when the market is growing and evolving more rapidly than ever, the Next Generation poll shows that Scotland is still a major presence in the games industry.”
He adds: “We have a fantastic community here in Scotland. We have strong links between businesses and universities. We have games focused initiatives and events like the Dare to be Digital competition and Edinburgh Interactive Festival which are unique, worldwide. As the games world expands into new areas and incorporates new platforms and technologies, Scotland promises to continue as a leader in the market.”
