Gaming sector launches plan to grow to £1bn

The Scottish Games Network (SGN) has unveiled its national action planto transform the gaming industry into a “£1bn economic powerhouse”. 

The plan, Level Up Scotland, sets out how the industry will transform Scotland’s “secret weapon” into a major contributor to the economy. 

SGN, which is the umbrella body for the games industry in Scotland, says that after two years of consultation, the action plan will provide the “strategic blueprint” to establish Scotland as the UK’s first gaming supercluster. 

The plan highlights that Scottish games developers deliver over £150,000 GVA per head, which is more than double the national average, and argues that games is no longer a sub-sector of the creative industries but the “golden thread” of the digital economy. 

It makes five recommendations for growth over a two-year pilot phase, including the appointment of an interim chief games officer to align the sector with national strategies, a pilot fund to leverage private capital and support original IP creation and co-development, and a games-focused skills and education forum spanning the length of the education cycle. 

It also suggests the creation of a specialist service to help Scottish studio start-ups scale and achieve global success and sustainability, and the establishment of a national games innovation centre.  

Brian Baglow, director of the Scottish Games Network, said: “For too long, the Scottish games industry has been our economy's secret weapon – high performance, globally successful, but all too often missing from the strategic HUD.  

“After two years of professional cat-herding and deep-dive research, we are handing over a blueprint that moves us all beyond fragmentation and invisibility.  

“This isn't just a report; it’s a mandate to weave games technology into the heart of Scottish innovation. By hitting ‘start’ on the UK’s first games supercluster, we are securing Scotland’s place as a global leader in the creative technology economy.” 

The plan suggests that the tools, technologies, and techniques created in game development have “enormous transformational potential” for other sectors like health, manufacturing, education, data, cyber, film, and energy. 

Clare Adamson and Michael Marra, co-conveners of the cross-party group on Scotland’s games ecosystem, said in a joint statement: “The Level Up Scotland Action Plan provides the strategic coherence that Scotland’s games sector has needed.  

“It demonstrates the undeniable value of our games developers and provides a clear, evidence-based path for the Scottish Government to support one of our most productive and innovative industries.”