The Lobby – January 2026

Made in the UK – Why we are excited about 2026

The energy around UK games right now is building, and there is plenty to look forward to after a turbulent year. 2025 brought real disruption from challenger technologies, forcing us to grapple with difficult questions about creativity, ownership and workforce. These concerns are legitimate and, of course, require thoughtful responses. But what gives me confidence is that the industry has always navigated technological change by holding firm to our principles while staying curious about possibility.

The question now is how we, as an industry, shape what comes next. UK games revenue bounced back in 2025, with early data demonstrating impressive gains in mobile and UGC. British studios, up and down the country, are shipping fantastic games and content that people want to experience, but we know growth alone does not define success.

The previous decade taught us that scale for scale’s sake is hollow. Sustainable growth requires different foundations: profitability, resilience, investment in people, and adaptive strategies for constant change. When you get those things right, scale follows naturally.

 

Responsibility is central to that foundation. The companies we build, the practices we adopt, the inclusion we champion are how we shape what this industry becomes. We should be cautious not to see responsibility as just a value we project, but something we actively champion. That means continuing to create safe and enjoyable spaces for players through thoughtful community management and safety by design. It means building positive, studio cultures where talent can thrive.

As UK games continue to gain global recognition, we are committed to showcasing what responsible development looks like in practice.
That’s why we are focused on highlighting and sharing evidence of good practice across our industry: the concrete examples of studios creating safe player experiences and inclusive workplaces that define what “Made in the UK” truly means.

Last year, our Supercharged strategy delivered meaningful progress in government, giving us a solid foundation to build on. Now, 2026 is about demonstrating what UK games can deliver when we can act as a collective.

Moreover, I want to hear from you about what’s working: the studios building sustainable businesses, the publishers finding audiences, the teams solving hard problems. Your experiences shape our vision for what comes next. – Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie.

Sustainable businesses, the publishers finding audiences, the teams solving hard problems. Your experiences shape our vision for what comes next. – Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie.

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Made in the UK – Celebrating UK video games and interactive Entertainment

 

Understanding of video games has improved significantly in recent years, but there is still a gap between the scale of the industry’s impact and how well it is understood by the public, mainstream media and policymakers. Closing that gap matters because perception shapes the policy and investment landscape.

Every policy decision, every investment conversation, every public debate about games flows from how we are understood.

 

We know reputation matters, which is why trust, transparency, responsibility, values shape how people view our industry. People should know about the great things happening in UK games and the positive impact they have on the lives of millions.

Instead, we’ve been too quiet while competitors have been vocal, and other territories have claimed innovation that started here.

 

That’s why we are launching ‘Made in the UK.’ This campaign will change how deeply people understand who we are as an industry, because that understanding sets the context for decisions made about us. Our vision is for the UK to be a global hub for IP and innovation, which means coming together as an industry to remain at the cutting edge.

Consider what’s launching from British studios in 2026: Think about the region you live in and the games being made on your doorstep. There are hundreds of studios with a presence in the UK that are creating games, live service and episodic content that will find global audiences.

 

But if we don’t actively champion this work, it gets lost. The global games market is crowded and competitive, but what other regions can’t replicate is our ecosystem: technical expertise combined with creative culture, business infrastructure, and regulatory clarity.

Here’s where you come in. We need to showcase the breadth and quality of UK games development. Whether you’re launching a new title, expanding your studio, or pioneering new technology, we want to feature your story.

 

This campaign succeeds when the industry participates. Get in touch and let us help amplify what you’re building. When investors and talent look for excellence in games, we want them to look at the UK first.

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Backing the next generation of UK game makers

Tomorrow, we will be announcing the cohort of games companies participating in the second year of the Video Games Growth Programme Ukie is running in partnership with Tencent.

Before that, we spoke to the co-founder of Twisted Works, James Braceabout their time on the programme, their upcoming game Casts Outs and what they want to see from the government to help support emerging video games companies.

 

“Upon founding Twisted Works I remember talking to Sam Collins at Ukie and he introduced me to the upcoming programme in our first conversation. A few months later, Chris Bain and a bunch of industry folk were coming together online to partake in the VGGP programme.

As the CEO of a new development studio, this was a great opportunity to share this programme with other developers in similar phases of their growth”.

The Video Games Growth Programme exists because building a successful studio requires more than creative talent. You need to understand funding structures, manage cash flow, hire effectively, and build culture that survives development stress.

Last year we saw 30 companies graduate from the programme. But to show what the programme helps to deliver, have a look at Twisted Works.

 

Twisted Works is a studio founded by developers from PlayStation London Studio, Disney Interactive, Blur, and Square Enix. Their upcoming game, Cast Outs, is a co-op action title set in the streets of London

The team is remote-first and joined the programme while still defining their studio structure and business strategy. Despite a strong heritage, the team is constantly learning and mastering new skills in an industry that never stops evolving, embracing the chance to wear many hats and the intrinsic reward of levelling up new areas of expertise.

Twisted Works is one of many new games companies that set up shop in recent years, but what can we do to help them and others reach their potential?

We asked James what the number one barrier to growth is for companies like Twisted Works?

“I believe the UK government and investors understand the potential of UK game development studios based on our past, but our industry is shifting, and the potential in today’s and future market might not be so obvious.

The UK has a fantastic heritage, and the world-class talent, great IP and technically sophisticated studios who continue to craft culturally distinctive games is undeniable.

But I’m not sure if they (or even we) fully understand how this heritage applies and brings value outside the traditional big AAA hit-driven games that many investors/publishers still anchor to. Or beyond the short-term spread-bets of sub $5m indie games that might see one go viral and generate commercial success.

Traditional strategies are failing. Gaming audiences are fragmented, more selective and wary of aggressive monetisation. Play habits are changing as attention is divided with other screentime activities.”

 

“Today, investment/publishing partners often award small, early-stage experimental indie products looking for sub $500k or late-stage, already proven commercial hits. There is little support in the scale-up phase, where studios move from demonstrable product prototypes that show potential to well-developed early access products that prove market demand and grow an audience with trust.

One of the biggest missed opportunities is support for mid-scale studios and products. Teams that have proven creative and commercial capability to move through key development stages in a way that is measured and curated to ensure not just audience adoption but gain their trust and maintain retention. This critical growth phase feels under-supported.”

So, James is proposing 3 things that they want to see change:

• “Recognition of games as a long-term cultural infrastructure, not just hit products to flip quickly for fast ROI or M&As to leverage and then sell off after one game is released (if you’re lucky).

• Funding models that support iteration and key development milestones prior to launch. Investing smaller amounts in stages to explore the opportunity, mitigate risk and prove the potential. Be a part of the journey.

• Agreements that allow IP ownership so the dev studio can also share in valuation growth with the success of a product and not simply be UK based, work for hire.”

We at Ukie are delighted to see a game set in the streets of London, but we wanted to ask James how Twisted Works leaned into its UK identity in ‘Cast Outs’?

“Cast Outs places players in the heart of our capital city. It’s London with a twist – a reality where folklore and fairytales are no longer fiction and magic is real and humans and the fabled coexist.

London is a city with two-millennia of history steeped in myth, folklore and legends. It’s the perfect setting for our modern fantasy.”

 

“For us modern fantasy works best when the setting deeply familiar and recognisable yet infused with a renewed sense of wonder and discovery. Our lived experience of London directly informs how we capture that familiarity. We draw on real-world impressions and observations across key areas…

• Physical world (scale, density, architecture & planning, relationship between old and new, rhythm of roads, weather, etc. and how these elements can be used to quietly tell stories)

• Society (the way we act, how culture manifest in advertising, services, entertainment, music, heritage, etc.)

• Character stories (creating characters that, despite their fantasy forms, appear as authentic citizens of the city with relatable traits that reflect people we know or versions of ourselves, filtered through a fantasy lens.

Being based in the UK, with first-hand experience of living in London, gives us a strong instinct for this. Anyone can scan and reproduce a city at a surface level but capturing its essence with limited information requires a deeper cultural understanding of what truly defines it.

I also do not underestimate how our life experience of being based in UK will influence our product at a subconscious level. Our humour, tone, pacing, sensibilities and worldview are unavoidably shaped by British culture. It gives the game a distinct voice and authenticity that can’t be manufactured from a distance.

We’re inspired by the long tradition of British settings fused with fantasy/sci-fi works, like Mary Poppins, Harry Potter and Good Omens to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who, and works of Terry Gilliam, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, as well as more recent waves of urban fantasy and supernatural fiction. ‘Cast Outs’ proudly brings a distinctly British perspective to modern fantasy through both design and storytelling.”

Programmes like the Video Games Growth Programme exist to address the gap between creative excellence and commercial sustainability. While the UK continues to produce world-class development talent, the ability to scale studios, secure investment and build resilient businesses remains a critical challenge.

Twisted Works joined the programme at an early stage, when strategic decisions around structure, funding and growth would shape their long-term prospects. We believe targeted support matters, not as a safety net, but as an accelerator.

When emerging teams are equipped with the right business knowledge and networks, they are better positioned to convert creative potential into lasting economic and cultural value

If you want to hear more about Video Games Growth Programme, watch this space for upcoming news. If you want to hear more about Twisted Works, check-out their website here.

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Ukie Conference 2026: Where the industry connects

Want to be in the room where it happens? The Ukie Conference brings together the people shaping the UK games industry, from developers and publishers to policymakers and investors. It’s a space for practical discussion, shared insight and the conversations that influence where the sector goes next.

We will announce full details soon, including speakers, themes, and how to attend. If you want to be part of the conversation shaping the next age of UK games, you’ll want to be there.

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Mentoring – A strategy that punches above its weight

Liz Prince is the Business Manager of specialist games recruitment agency Amiqus, and co-founded the Empower-Up EDI platform with Ukie two years ago. The website and resources aim to help studios of all sizes on their diversity and inclusion journeys. Here she discusses the importance of mentoring for supporting the professional, and personal, development of individuals, particularly women and those from under-represented groups…

The video games industry is built on craft, collaboration, and fast-moving technology. It’s also built on studios that often operate lean: small HR teams, limited Learning and Development capacity, and leaders wearing multiple hats.

In this environment, mentoring can be one of the most practical, high-impact ways to support both career progression – skills, roles, visibility – and personal progression, including confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

Research consistently supports the value of mentoring in the workplace. Large-scale meta-analyses across sectors show that mentoring is associated with improved career outcomes, higher job satisfaction, stronger organisational commitment, and better wellbeing for mentees.

 

That matters in games, where career paths are rarely linear. Job titles can vary widely between studios, expectations can be opaque, and people often progress by moving sideways as much as upwards. A good mentor helps translate that complexity into something actionable: identifying skills to build, choosing projects strategically, navigating feedback, and handling the very human challenges of game development – in particular imposter syndrome, burnout risk, and the pressure of shipping.

One of the standout examples in the UK games sector is Limit Break, a mentoring programme supporting marginalised people working in – or aiming to progress within – the UK games industry. Limit Break programmes run over six months and are built around regular one-to-one mentoring, alongside community resources, events, and guidance for both mentors and mentees.

What makes Limit Break particularly powerful is that for mentees, it creates a safe, consistent space to reflect, set goals, and build confidence. For mentors, it offers support and community that makes mentoring feel sustainable alongside demanding roles.

As a former mentor on the programme, I’ve seen first-hand what that can unlock.  Mentees leaving with a clearer career plan, developing confidence in their own judgement, learning how to prioritise what mattered, and becoming more comfortable advocating for themselves at work. Those shifts are subtle, but transformative.

Alongside industry-wide initiatives like Limit Break, many studios are investing directly in mentoring. Ubisoft has highlighted mentoring as part of its broader people-development and diversity strategies. Through initiatives such as Develop at Ubisoft, mentoring is positioned as a way to support progression, share knowledge across disciplines, and build inclusive leadership capability, with mentors and mentees encouraged to reflect on their experiences and learning.

Ubisoft’s approach demonstrates that mentoring doesn’t have to sit in a large, formal HR function to be effective. With clear intent, leadership support, and light structure, mentoring can scale across large, complex organisations.

And I know of many other great studios who are nurturing talent within their organisations to help individuals with their career progression.

 

The common thread – whether you’re a micro indie or a global publisher – is that mentoring works best when it’s treated as a real development practice: clear goals, light structure, psychological safety, and mutual commitment. It’s not a replacement for good management, fair progression frameworks, or inclusive culture. But it’s one of the most accessible ways to accelerate them.

For an industry that prides itself on iteration, mentoring is a people-first version of the same philosophy: regular check-ins, honest feedback, and small improvements that compound over time. For studios without vast HR resources – which, let’s face it, is most studios – it’s one of the most effective tools we have.

If you want to learn more about Empower-Up, you can check it out here.

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