James Tyler

TIGA, Games and Graduates The number of undergraduates studying video games courses skyrocketed by 279 per cent between 2013/14 and 2023/24. There were 15,450 undergraduate enrolments in the 2023/24 academic year across all UK higher education (HE) providers in the subject area ‘Computer games and animation’ (common aggregation hierarchy (CAH) subject code 11-01-06). This compares to 4,065 undergraduate enrolments in the 2013/14 academic year across all UK HE providers in the subject areas ‘Games’ (Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) subject code I6) and ‘Computer generated visual & audio effects’ (JACS subject code I7). This dramatic rise in the number of undergraduates studying video games between 2013/14 and 2023/24 was revealed following TIGA analysis of a response from Josh MacAlister OBE MP,  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Children and Families) to a written parliamentary question from Max Wilkinson MP on 19th September 2025. TIGA’s own  research shows that the UK video games industry generates £12 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) annually, supports more than 73,000 jobs (including approximately 28,000 developers), and contributes £2.2 billion in tax revenues. The UK video games industry needs a talent pipeline that includes the provision of high quality graduates available to work in the sector. As such, TIGA’s University Accreditation System promotes best educational practice and identifies those universities and colleges that equip students and learners with industry relevant skills, together with vital data on graduate progression. A TIGA survey from 2024 indicates that in a typical year a studio recruiting new staff hires approximately 78 per cent from existing industry practitioners, about 21 per cent from recent graduates and around 2 per cent from apprentices. The expansion in the number of graduates studying video game related courses means that it is more important than ever for TIGA, industry and education to work closely together. Education providers need to ensure that students acquire industry relevant skills, have cross-disciplinary experiences and learn cross sectoral skills to maximise their employment opportunities. Universities that enable students to learn commercial and entrepreneurial skills will also be delivering real value to their learners and ultimately to the video games industry. Games courses can provide an educational gateway, enabling students with vocational qualifications like BTECs to enter and access higher education.  Games graduates can then apply their skills in a range of interactive technology sectors. For more information about TIGA’s accreditation system see:  https://lnkd.in/egS_2YMr For more information on the parliamentary question, see: https://lnkd.in/e9yShHCC

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Our Producer David Park has written a powerful blog on the challenges graduates face breaking into the games industry—and the opportunities that exist when the right support is in place. He breaks down the realities of a competitive job market, the shortage of junior roles, and the impact of industry changes. More importantly, he shares how our #SkillsBootcamps give aspiring developers, artists, and designers the experience, portfolio pieces, and confidence to take that crucial first step into their careers. #GameDev #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry #SkillsBootcamps #CareersInGames #GameDesign #IndieDev #GamesJobs #GameIndustryCareers #UnrealEngine #GamesStudioLife #FromRetailToGames #GamesCareers

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Most games service studios don’t have a lead problem. They have a decision problem. Too many conversations. Too little prioritisation. And no one senior enough to say: “Stop this.” “Push that.” “Not now.” BD effort is rarely the issue. Focus usually is. Where does momentum most often break down for you?

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🎮 The age of the gaming industry workforce and the questions it raises. Recent data shows: 📊 The average age of video game developers sits around 32–34 years old. 📊 Yet in the US, around 62% of video game developers are 40+. 📊 In the UK, the majority of workers are still under 35, making it one of the younger creative industries. It raises an important question: 👉 In what is intrinsically seen as a young industry, does being over 40 work against you? 👉 Or is grey hair and experience exactly what’s needed to guide the industry through challenging times, whether that’s crunch culture, diversity gaps, or financial pressures? I’d love to hear from people who’ve experienced this first-hand. ·       Have you found age to be a barrier in the gaming sector? ·       Or have you seen your experience valued as a strength? Let’s start a conversation about how the industry can balance youthful innovation with the wisdom of experience. #GamingIndustry #Leadership #DiversityAndInclusion #AgeDiversity #VideoGames #Careers #Netiro

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Technical Direction for your Game Dev team - without the long-term overhead. I’ve got some capacity opening up in March to support a few more UK-based GameDev studios. I tend to work best as a 'fractional' Technical Director - which is really just a fancy way of saying I’m available a few days a week or month to help with the heavy lifting, offer a bit of mentoring, or help solve those specific technical puzzles that crop up during game development. If you’re a small or medium-sized studio, you might find it useful to have an extra pair of experienced eyes on things - without the need to sort out a full-time hire. I’m usually most comfy helping out with: 👨‍🏫 Technical Mentoring Working alongside your programmers (at any level) to help them feel more confident in C++, UE5, or low-level optimisation on PC and Consoles. 💡 Problem Solving Jumping into the codebase to help profile bottlenecks, look at shader development, or tinker with CPU/GPU performance improvements. 🤔 A Bit of Strategy Helping Seniors, Principals or Leads with the "people" side of things such as appraisals or training and development needs - or looking at how AI tools might actually fit into your pipeline without the hype. I generally drop in for 1-2 days a week or month. I’m quite used to hitting the ground running and aim to be a helpful, calming, presence rather than a disruption to your existing workflow. A few specific areas I can help your team dive into: 👉 Training or mentoring existing team members in C++ and UE5 👉 Improving performance, code optimisation, data-oriented design. 👉 Making sense of multi-threading such as synchronisation or UE5 async tasks. 👉 Smoothing out C++ workflows, modular code/components or improving API design for more rapid iteration and incremental development. If you think your team might benefit from a bit of extra support or just a sounding board for some technical hurdles, I’d be very happy to have a quick chat to see if I’m a good fit for what you need. Feel free to send me a message here if you'd like to catch up.

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If you've never hired a game developer to a non-games role, you are missing out on some of the smartest, hardest working, most adaptable employees out there. These are people who have to completely re-learn their craft every few years as technologies and tools change rapidly. They know how to work smarter. They don't panic. They don't say "that's not my job" Every game dev I've ever known that's left to other fields has been an immediate rockstar anywhere they went.

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As someone who used to sit on the fence between both the Games industry and Music Industry, I understand where this comes from yet also see it as a potential negative that will only hurt both games publishers and ultimately music artists. A number of artists may no longer be considered for sync deals if the cost of including their music becomes too high. As someone who ran a couple of record labels and represented a number of bands / artists there were a couple of instances we waved rights to get tracks into Playstation projects that ultimately generated more from the initial sync deal than any PRS royalties that would come later on. Yet those same royalties had the potential to completely tank the game project if they were in place. I'm a firm believer "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and I think PRS could cause more trouble then good here. https://lnkd.in/eYrhuDhX

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The response to my UE5 Deprecation Manager tool has honestly been insane So I spent the last 2 days improving it with your suggestions before release, New updates include: - Improved deprecated warning icons/badges - Better tooltip visibility - Bulk deprecate / bulk clear workflows - Replacement asset hints - Quarantine system for old assets - PIE Guard for detecting runtime deprecated references And one of my favorite additions: - Icons when searching directly inside Unreal Engine context menus The whole goal of this tool is simple: Stop old assets from silently sneaking back into production months later. Because every large Unreal project eventually becomes old Blueprints, replaced meshes, outdated materials, forgotten textures legacy content nobody should still be using 😂 And somehow… they always come back. Deprecation Manager gives teams a real “do not use this anymore” workflow directly inside Unreal Engine. Launching tomorrow night at 21:00 CET on FAB. #unrealengine #ue5 #gamedev #technicalart #gameart #vfx #indiedev #fab

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Newzoo's latest 2026 PC and Console Report is out, and it shows that new releases account for a low 13% of total playtime—despite 20,000 new games launching on Steam alone last year. https://buff.ly/kTnpX8Q

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So we're running another pitch session today with Jon Cartwright (and his "Iron FistTM hold over AU/NZ game development"). CODE runs the workshop with Jon three times a year as it not only helps with the quality of our applications, it helps set us up for success when it comes to the outcomes of CODE's international showcases and pitching events. On top of this, we were in a meeting with a partner helping out with an international trade intervention we're doing at a forthcoming event this year and a very senior staff member commented about how they regularly attend trade shows and the level of (un)preparedness it seems so many attendees have, even those who have been in business for some time. It seems obvious to some, but even in this day and age, in preparing to attend an event when you're pitching your game or service, don't leave home without: ➡️ Learning how to pitch effectively with someone who knows what they're doing and has experience doing so. It's a learnt skill, don't assume you can just wing it or whack together a slide presentation- you might not know what bases you're not covering. ➡️ Pitch deck(s) that you can deliver in ten minutes. Make multiple versions if you have to so you can tailor your presentation to the audience or the business interests of whom you are pitching to. ➡️ 10-15 minute demo of your game. No more-assume the people playing are time poor. Not just the first intro level, but something that shows off the core elements. ➡️ Trailers, teasers and a gameplay video if you have them. ➡️ Physical business cards. Yes, even in 2026 and especially if you're going to an East Asian event. You can whack a QR code on them for handy download links. ➡️ Maybe a company deck or appropriate deck if you are a service provider. If you are a company coming from an adjacent sector into games, you want to show material as game industry-relevant as possible. If you're a game studio doing this, it's a handy thing to have, but use it to demonstrate your capability, don't get too hung up on your values. ➡️ I like to make a crib sheet of three lines of research of everyone I'm meeting in a day, particularly for new contacts as things can turn into a blur. Check folks' profile out here, search their names and backgrounds. Remember this is all a dance or a game and it's easier to play if you understand the rules. Preparedness is everything.

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interesting conversations at #Gamescom 2025 so far seem to point towards an industry recovery that is rolling out unevenly - and yet to hit the parts of the industry that arguably need it most. The first and possibly fastest seems to be the recovery of investment interest. As noted in previous posts, there are some very well funded players starting to take renewed interest in games. The interest feels different though - it seems like people have learned the lessons from the "insane 10x VC era" and are looking for more sustainable, longer-term returns. This is due in part to there being more "games native" investors on the scene - people who are bringing more clear-eyed industry experience to the mix. Coming in behind this, some exciting moves in the support ecosystem, where the layoffs seem to have unlocked a lot of knowledge capital that is starting to organise into a really rich and experienced support layer for games companies. As we heard at Opening Night Live, there is a healthy crop of large and not-so-large titles coming through, with people finding new angles on existing IP. Behind that, we know that the industry needs to start green-lighting games to keep the pipeline running smoothly. I still hear "too many games/too many games companies" - it feels like there is still an oversupply issue relative to the existing market for consumer attention, but the ongoing process of democratising games into new demographics seems to be opening up more opportunity (albeit someone still desperately needs to solve the curation + discovery layer for new audiences). But it is still tough for developers and publishers - the good news I think is that recovery is waiting in the wings, but we need to work harder to ensure that it hits the ground where it is needed most.

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❤️ Showing love to devs on Sorcery.gg ❤️ Portfolio highlights from Laurence J. Hester & Oliver Lawrence Laurence has 5+ years of industry experience working across some of gaming's biggest franchises. He spent 3.5 years as a Senior Associate Environment Artist at Sledgehammer Games, contributing to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Vanguard, leading outsourcing, building level blockouts, crafting environments for multiplayer maps, and mentoring junior artists. Since then he's worked at PlaySide Studios (UE5 PCG pipelines, terrain sculpting) and is currently at Oreville Studios as Level/General Artist, shipping work for Minecraft: Superman and the Actions & Stuff DLC pack in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Mojang. 👉 Check out his portfolio: https://lnkd.in/eduZ3tiq Oliver has 8+ years of dedicated Unity experience across mobile, PC, web, and VR, building everything from core gameplay systems to multiplayer architecture. His career spans an impressive range of contexts: Serious Games at VRSS (RPG-style training simulators for UK police and rail operators), hypercasual mobile at Neon Play (5 MVPs shipped in 6 months), multiplayer engineering at Radical Forge (syncing hundreds of networked objects for Southfield), and a Senior freelance role at Observer Interactive on Gorillaz Kong Studios. He now runs his own freelance studio, SupaSlab, where he's raised £20k in funding, maintained a live VR application, and shipped multiple titles. 👉 See his portfolio here: https://lnkd.in/exNdn3wB

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Improvement Coming To Games Org Support Posts In the next few days, we’ll publish Games Org support posts #126-#129 for ZeniMax Online Studios, aided by Game Director Ben Jones and with HR approval from Jamie Thornton. When I saw the list had over 100 people, I spoke with Ben about the best way to handle it. What I’ve learned is that larger posts, thankfully rarer lately, tend to lose impact once they go beyond 25–30 names. So here’s the new rule for everyone: if a Games Org support post has more than 30 people, we’ll split it up. ZeniMax’s will become four posts, organized by functional categories. I’m also making another important change. In the past, organizations could request a new Games Org support post only once every three months if more than three people were affected. I’m, effective immediately, waiving that waiting period as a one-time exemption. Starting now, any games organization affected by layoffs that wants a new Games Org support post, even if they’ve recently had one, can come back to me for another to help highlight those still searching. I'm doing this to be fair to everybody. This resource, like everything we do, isn’t magic, but the data shows it helps, sometimes more for some orgs than others. On balance, it moves the needle. Please keep your heads up for the posts coming soon for the wonderfully talented people at ZeniMax Online, and for this change that will benefit the whole community going forward.

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Today, Into Games launches its annual drive to help support upto 30 career-ready devs from underresourced backgrounds get to Develop Brighton this year. For 2026, it's more ambitious than ever, aiming to cover the cohort's travel, food, and 2 days of accommodation. Into Games also sets up 1-2-1's and networking support for attendees throughout. If you have some budget, please give generously here: https://lnkd.in/efATy5im #socialmobility #IntoGames #Develop2026 #Brighton #DiversityandInclusion

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📣 I’m helping to curate a couple of panels for an upcoming European games conference and looking to bring in a few experienced voices... The sessions will focus on games publishing in 2026, including: • What actually gets games signed (and what kills a deal instantly) • How publishers are making decisions internally • How deal structures are evolving (MGs, rev share, risk) • When it makes sense to sign vs stay independent I’m particularly keen to connect with: • Producers & BD working within games publishing • Game Scouts / publishing teams sourcing new titles The aim is to keep this practical and honest, less theory, more real-world insight that studios can actually use. If that sounds like you, or someone you’d recommend, drop me a message. 📲

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This week's announcement of the new Modern Industrial Strategy from GOV.UK will have profound implications for the #games industry across the WHOLE of the #UK. More funding, a new 'games council' and the creation of a dedicated games #skills organisation will help to change the ways that #videogames are understood and supported. While #Scotland's games ecosystem will benefit from this new support, we can - and should - take it further. The Scottish Games Action Plan we've all been working so hard to produce can build upon this new support and extend beyond that to build Scotland into the UK's first games #supercluster. I'm working on plans to make this happen and will be announcing them (and asking directly for help) in the next few days. #games #videogames #Scotland #GamesActionPlan #change #SGN

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As a public service, I'd like to warn my friends across the #games media in the UK (and beyond) that I am being pursued by a 'Copyright Enforcement Specialist' from PA Media, asking for a licensing fee (£792.50) for an image posted on Scottish Games Network in 2013. I have received several of these in the past, and happily removed the 13-year-old image. However, this company has been particularly persistent and aggressive, with multiple emails and threats of legal action unless payment is made. After the fourth or fifth email, I decided to spend some time looking into the image in question (a photo of a Wolverine at Edinburgh Zoo, which had been renamed 'Logan'). It turns out to have been part of a promo campaign for the Activision game X-Men Origins: Wolverine, released on May 1st 2009. The press release was issued by Frank PR in the UK and included the photos now being claimed by PA Media. The press release, the photos and the fact sheet for the game are all *still* freely available for download from the major media resources such as Gamespress. I ran it on SGN as a local news story. Receiving a copyright infringement for a promotional image, actively and freely distributed by a games publisher as big as Activision, SEVENTEEN years after the game was released, seems a little... predatory. So I won't be paying. A quick Google shows the original 2009 story is still live on sites, including GamesIndustry.Biz, Eurogamer Network, The Guardian, PocketGamer.biz and Kotaku, so all of my friends and colleagues there, please be aware that you're likely to get a similar email (unless of course your in-house legal teams make them a little more cautious). A final note to PA Media's CEO Emily Shelley. I know the whole media sector is facing unprecedented pressures and collapsing revenues. However, as a business model, chasing smaller media channels with automated copyright violations isn't a long-term revenue stream likely to make you popular.

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