New statistics from professional recruitment firm Robert Walters show that the gaming sector now employs 27,000 and rising.
The UK games industry is experiencing a boom period right now despite the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report by professional recruitment firm Robert Walters. The industry currently employs around 27,000 professionals and is worth over £4bn in value, and could could triple in value within the next three years to £10bn.
The coronavirus lockdown has harmed many industries across the UK, but the gaming industry is experiencing a boom period as people have more time to play games and some other forms of entertainment are not able to operate. Physical game sales have jumped by 218% since the beginning of lockdown, with digital downloads increasing by 67% week-on-week at the end of Q1 2020.
Game development studios have continued to expand in this crisis, with a year-on-year increase in vacancies of 20% and up to 43% for IT-specific roles. This year has seen a 154% increase in programming roles, a 140% increase in project manager positions, 91% increase in developers, a 76% increase in audio/video specialist roles, and a 59% boost to art roles.
Tom Chambers, Senior Manager Technology at Robert Walters, comments: "Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the games sector. In a world where blockbuster premiers, national sporting events, and hospitality and leisure were all vetoed – gaming has further infiltrated the daily lives of multiple generations as one of the only accessible lockdown past-times."
Source: Written based on press release
