UK games developers appear to be slowing their growth in 2018 due to concerns about discoverability and limited access to finance, according to TIGA.
The video games trade association has released the results of its Business Opinion Survey 2018, which surveyed 63 businesses in the UK games industry.
The survey found that 68% of respondents were looking to grow their businesses in 2018, down from 88% in the 2017 survey. 30% stated that they would likely keep their workforce at current levels, while 2% thought they would lose some of their staff.
62% of those surveyed said that their business was performing "very well" or "well", down from 72% in 2017. The number of companies optimistic about their future prospects also fell slightly, down from 50% to 46%.
Ups and downs
On a more positive note, 48% of respondents said that the outlook for investment in their business was more optimistic compared to 2017. 70% also believed that economic and business environment in the UK is favourable to the video games industry, up from 64% in 2017.
As for what is impeding success, 38% of respondents pointed to difficulty accessing finance, while 34% suggested discoverability was a big problem. 22% of those surveyed claimed that skills shortages and gaps are the main issue.
"Our industry needs to have access to highly-skilled employees from the EU, EEA and beyond. Currently, EU workers make up 15 per cent of the UK games industry, while 5 per cent come from countries outside the EU," said TIGA CEO Richard Wilson.
"In order to grow and thrive, the UK video games industry will need to continue to recruit talent on a global level."
Wilson received an OBE in the New Year 2018 Honours List. He has led TIGA for almost ten years and has been a key supporter in tax breaks for the UK games sector.