Tell us a bit about you and what you're doing in your company at the moment.
I'm Tim Woodley, I've been in the video games industry for over 20 years. Starting as a marketer at Activision in the early noughties for six years, then as publishing executive at 505 Games as they levelled up through the 2010s. I moved developer-side for the first time a couple of years ago to head up all the publishing and commercial interests at Hello Games (No Man's Sky, The Last Campfire, Joe Danger).
In my spare time I like to be underwater (I'm a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor and also love to freedive - I can hold my breath for 5 minutes!).
How did you get into the games industry?
20+ years ago, I worked as an Account Director in the music industry for an agency that specialised in the promotion of hip hop and r'n'b. Activision approached us to help them promote the long-since-forgotten PlayStation 1 game, Wu Tang: Taste the Pain. They poached me fair and square following that campaign. My first titles I managed in the industry were Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Spider-Man for the PS1.
Why did you want to become Ukie chair?
Having spent a total of six years on the UKIE board, I've seen how much unchampioned work goes on in the UKIE team and how much good the industry does on a daily basis. Sometimes it can be a struggle to get those positive messages out to the wider world. I want to double down on my efforts to help support the team and the Board and help in the ongoing effort to change the perception of video games as a force for good.
What are you hoping to achieve in your time as chair?
For the last ten years at least, UKIE's mission statement, "to make the UK the best place in the world to make and sell video games", has been underpinned by very robust and consistent strategies set out by Jo (CEO) and my predecessor Chairs. Those principles have served the industry and UKIE well and it may well be that they are still relevant for the next ten years. But I am looking forward to kicking those tyres and lifting our eyes to the horizon of what the next ten years of the UK video games industry will look like and how best to help UKIE prepare for what its members, current and future, will need in support.
What games have you been playing lately?
During lockdown, I taught myself how to build a PC with the express purpose of being able to play Half-Life Alyx through a tethered Oculus Quest. I played an early build of Alyx at Valve in my last business trip to Seattle and was amazed at the quality of that VR experience. I completed the PC build a while back but have only just found the time to crack Alyx open. It's as good as I remember.
Do you have any pets?
I would love a dog, but I also love to go abroad on vacation (in the before times). We know plenty of people who have dogs who also want to go away so my wife and I offer ourselves out as a dog-sitting service to friends and family. Best of both worlds!
Finally, have you got a tip for anyone thinking of getting into the UK games industry?
Do it! The games industry in the UK is extremely vibrant and such a tight-knit industry. In some ways it's changed immeasurably in the last 20 years, but there's still that same feeling of camaraderie and that support network and community which I encountered when I first joined all those years ago. Whether you're a school-leaver looking to inject youthful energy into a maturing industry or a seasoned veteran from another sector looking to apply your transferable skills to a fast-moving, ever-evolving field, it's a great place to build a career.