According to a press release from Games London, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has renewed a pledge of £1M to their organisation. Games London is a group devoted to promoting the games sector in the city and the broader UK market. Games London organises the London Games Festival, which will be returning this year for its first in-person showing since 2020. As well as other initiatives such as the Games Finance Market event and both “inbound and outbound trade missions.”

Sadiq Khan was quoted as saying “We are home to the largest group of games studios in Europe and I’m proud to be providing more than £1m to open up more opportunities for growth, talent development and skills for young Londoners.” The Mayor of London had previously committed a £1.2M investment into Games London back in 2018 to cover the following three years of events. The new investment should cover broadly the same length of time, “London’s thriving games industry is a real success story, bringing significant investment and jobs to our capital.”

Champions of London

Given that London remains a centre of business and finance within the British isles, it’s no surprise that the mayor would want to invest in the still-growing games industry. According to the press release, Sadiq Khan is excited about the opportunities the upcoming Games London events will provide to a variety of young demographics in the city “I am also delighted that London Games Festival will return in 2023, shining a spotlight on innovative start-ups and promoting opportunities for Black, Asian and minority ethnic talent, showcasing yet again how we are building a better London for everyone through creativity, business and innovation.”

According to Games London, the city ”...is now the largest cluster for games studios in Europe, with over 500 businesses in the city making and supporting games across mobile, PC and console. Since its founding in 2015 Games London has generated over £75m for participants which has led to the creation of 700 jobs,”. At a time when economic turmoil is becoming a mainstream news topic, investment into prominent but underutilised areas of British industry should prove to be financially and politically advantageous. According to the release “In the next three years, Games London is expected to bring in a further £45m for games businesses and create an extra 270 jobs.”

If you want to learn about the talent Britain has to offer (plus plenty from elsewhere of course), we’re hosting Pocket Gamer Connects London in February 2023.