UK Government supports Scottish games industry
The UK Government will today [Monday 25 July] make clear its wholehearted support for Scotland’s games industry.
Minister Andrew Dunlop is travelling to Dundee for a roundtable with the Dundee-based UK Games Fund (UKGF) and video games companies based in the city.
Dundee’s hi-tech cluster is the heart of Scotland’s world-class games industry, the birthplace of blockbusters like Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto which have sold millions of copies around the world. Lord Dunlop will meet games developers who applied successfully to the Fund, along with the UKGF team.
The UK Games Fund is a £4 million UK Government initiative aimed at boosting the country’s video games industry. It supports smaller companies getting more concepts off the drawing board and into commercial production. Running over four years till 2019, the scheme offers grants of up to £25,000 to kick-start new businesses and support the growth of games clusters – including in Dundee.
UK Government Minister Andrew Dunlop said:
Dundee is an outstanding centre of expertise in games development, and it is significant that Dundee was chosen by the UK Government to run the nationwide UK Games Fund programme.
Scotland’s video games industry is an absolutely vital part of the country’s economy. I am clear that, working with the Scottish Government and other partners as ‘Team UK’, the UK Government will do all it can to continue to provide strong support for the Scottish economy. The UK Games Fund is an excellent example of how the UK Government is investing in the future of world class games development in Scotland and across the UK.
The Scotland Office Minister will also today [Monday 25 July] visit the site of the new V&A Museum of Design Dundee on the city’s waterfront. The project was awarded £5 million by the UK Government in the last Budget, investment which comes on top of a £12.5 million contribution from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Andrew Dunlop said:
I am really looking forward to seeing the progress on the VA& Dundee site since I last visited. The V&A Dundee’s ambitious plans will play a significant part in rejuvenating the city’s waterfront and attracting investment, visitors and jobs into Dundee. An iconic enterprise like this will really help put the city on the map, showing the world what Dundee has to offer and the scale of its ambition. I am really pleased that the UK Government is able to support the V&A Dundee with a £5 million investment.