A total of 114 games received final certification in the first half of 2017, an increase of 26% on the same period last year, the latest figures, released today from the BFI show. These games represent an EEA/UK spend of £84m from a total budget of £103m.
Also in the first half of 2017, 86 games recieved interim certification, which was a decrease of 18.8% from the 106 games that received interim certification in the first half the previous year. The 2017 games represent a EEA/UK spend of £200m from a total budget of £216m.
Looking at the year-on-year comparison from July to June each year, final certifications are up for July 2016 to June 2017 to 213 games with £187m EEA/UK spend. This is an increase of 28% from the same period the previous years, where 166 games received final certification. For the interim certifications, we see an 12% decrease from 178 games in 2015-16 to 156 in 2016-17.
Since the beginning of 2015, the median budget per certified game has remained relatively steady at around half a million pounds, which is reflected in the 2017 game budgets so far.
| Year | Median Budget |
|---|---|
| 2014 | £200,000 |
| 2015 | £600,000 |
| 2016 | £400,000 |
| 2017 (to date) | £500,000 |
Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie, responded to the stats, saying, “These figures yet again demonstrate what an important incentive for UK made games the VGTR is. Interim and final certification means that there are lot more routes for financing of games projects opening up, which goes some way to addressing the access to finance issue companies continue to face. We are working with Government to ensure the continuation and the strengthening of the system, as well as other incentives.”
VGTR came into effect in 2014 following successful lobbying by Ukie, and offers games companies 20 per cent return of their development costs for games that pass the 'Cultural Test'. Guidance can be found on VGTR in our Need to Know Guide here.