Ukie in partnership with Tencent Games is today announcing that the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is joining the 2024 Video Games Growth Programme as a key partner, highlighting the government’s commitment to supporting growth for British Business. The premier business programme designed to support the UK’s video games industry is also revealing this year’s cohort featuring 30 founders and leaders of the next generation of UK video games startups and scale ups.
The Ukie Video Games Growth Programme is renowned as the gold standard for business accelerators and scale-ups within the games sector. It offers two tailored pathways: an accelerator track for emerging companies and a scale-up track for high-growth-potential businesses. These programmes provide a comprehensive curriculum covering essential topics such as business strategy, access to funding, management, international market expansion, and more.
This collaboration with DBT marks a significant milestone, as it is the first time the department has directly supported the video game industry though a business accelerator programme. Over the years, Ukie and DBT have provided support to over 1,000 UK games businesses, and the additional support of the DBT will extend these opportunities, enabling companies to develop strategies for 2substantial growth and expansion.
The 2024 cohort showcases the best of British video game talent, including Yaldi Games, who aim to enrich life through crafting game worlds infused with actionable knowledge, Bonsai Collective – a studio passionate about storytelling and representation; and Off Chain Games who are developing their first story led game.
Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie, commented: “We are delighted to see the launch of our flagship Video Games Growth Programme to nurture the next generation of UK video game business leaders. The video games industry has the potential to supercharge economic growth by bridging the UK’s creative and technology sectors, and our programme has a proven track record in helping video games businesses achieve their growth ambitions. It is also fantastic to team up with Tencent Games for this year’s programme, which has been in the UK for over a decade and brings a wealth of experience and support to these businesses.”
Ukie and DBT have worked in partnership on trade missions, including GDC and gamescom, over the past decade which secured investment for UK Games Companies and assisted their growth. . Over the previous 12 months, our partnership generated over £90 million in business deals for UK companies. The UK games industry is a leading example of the UK’s reputation as a home for the creative, high-tech, knowledge-intensive companies that the country needs to succeed in the 21st century.
Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports, Gareth Thomas said: “Growth is at the heart of this government, so I’m delighted we have played a key role in facilitating the Video Games Growth Programme, helping provide essential support and create new internationally successful UK video game developers. Supporting this Programme shows our commitment to boosting growth by upskilling and delivering expert advice to the next generation of creative developers in a key industry worth nearly £8 billion.”
Mark Maslowicz, Vice President, Partnerships, Tencent Games, said: “We are proud to be supporting the UK’s next generation of leading video games companies alongside Ukie and the Department of Business and Trade. Through this unique programme, this year’s cohort will be able to tap into Tencent Games know how and expertise as well as our unrivalled and global network in the industry. Having been in the UK for over decade, we know very well what an incredible hotbed of gaming talent and creativity this country is. We are excited to play our part in helping to nurture that and give up-and-coming studios the opportunities their work deserves.”
Additional Participating Companies
Accelerator Companies:
- Off Chain Games
- On Orbit
- Ryan Laley Games
- Efrenstudios Ltd
- Tissue Inu Ltd
- Twisted Works
- Bonsai Collective
- Electric Sheep Studios
- Team Artichoke
- Kindred Spirit Games
- Included Games
- innoloop
- Yaldi Games
- Smash Mountain Studio
- Maintain Altitude
- Dream on a Stick
- Dragon Scale Studios
Scale-Up Companies:
- Fallen Planet Studios
- Waving Bear Studio
- Wardog Studios
- Sandford Tech Limited
- Noun Town
- Rocket Flair Studios Ltd
- Psytec Games Ltd
- Arrogant Pixel LTD
- Rogue Sun
- Huey Games Ltd
- No Ghost limited
- Blink Games
- Fayju
