The next generation shaping UK games

• "The response blew me away" – more than 100 future industry leaders were nominated by their peers
• Today's emerging talent is succeeding despite job losses and under-investment in training.

Nick Poole is chief executive at Ukie.

When I speak to publishers about what makes the UK one of the best places in the world to develop games, the answer is always the same – our pool of technical, creative and leadership talent. 

Around 9 months ago I asked the hive-mind a simple question – who are the new generation of video games innovators and leaders that will shape the next chapter of our industry?

The response blew me away. I ended up with a list of more than 100 suggestions – an incredible ‘who’s who’ of the next generation. 

To namecheck just a few - people like MJ Lewis, the Producer at Kepler Interactive who has had a hand in some of this year’s most exciting releases, and Abi Le Guilcher, the influencer marketing wizard at Future Friends Games. 

Some names came up time and again - Harvey Hayman, the founder/producer/developer at Studio Morgan, for his work building collaborative networks through initiatives like the Good Game Dev Club and IGDA London. Or Moo Yu, the Creative Director at Team Artichoke whose work on ‘anti-capitalist merge game’ Mythmatch was hailed as setting a new standard for indie titles earlier this year.

The list goes on - people mentioned Sally Blake, the CEO of Newcastle-based Silent Games who uses her production skills to help studios across the UK to succeed. Or Jade Fern-Gadd, dev team lead at Medieval Snail Games, who many people mentioned for her generosity supporting colleagues across the dev community. 

What really stood out is the extent to which this generation is showing up for each other - providing support, ideas and shared expertise as they face the future together - evidenced by how many people stepped up to respond to my original question!

Building a creative career has never been easy, but the people on this list are making it work in an adverse climate - one that has been marked by scarce resources, job losses and under-investment in training. It’s a picture that stands in sharp contrast to the findings of the recent Creative Skills Audit, which found that 62% of games industry employers expect to grow headcount in the next 3-5 years.   

This backdrop isn’t made any more comfortable by the recent finding in Alan Millburn’s report that up to 1m young people (‘NEETs’) in the UK are struggling to find work. That is an incredible talent pool and I think we have a moral obligation not to let that potential go to waste. 

Many people took time to highlight how programmes and initiatives like DunDev, Transfuzer, Limit Break, Ukie’s own Video Games Growth Programme and the Techscaler Hub in Dundee are helping to bridge the gap.

They also mentioned the vital role played by regional networks like Games Republic, Liverpool’s Game Changers and the Manchester Games Network. It is clear that these programmes and networks offer much more than just training. They create much-needed space for the next generation to collaborate, build and grow. 

The UK’s games talent pool is the product of 40 years of enterprise and innovation. We have to ensure that we’re not just trading on the skills base of previous decades but actively investing in new talent, fresh ideas and future leaders. That also means doing everything we can to create a financial environment that allows studios the freedom to invest in their people.