Sci, the firm behind video game character Lara Croft, plan to slash jobs in Britain
Bosses behind some of Britain's leading video games companies have
backed calls for the Government to
prevent a brain drain which could
cripple the industry.
Sci, the owner of the Lara Croft Tomb
Raider franchise, recently announced it
would slash its British workforce by a quarter
and increase its presence in Canada.
The company, regarded as Britain's
largest games publisher, said it was making
the move because it was too expensive to
develop games on this side of the Atlantic.
Canadian regional governments offer
games companies lucrative tax breaks.
Employees are given income tax holidays of
up to five years, while in Quebec developers
can receive a 30 per cent wage subsidy.
This has seen Canada overtake Britain to
become the world's third biggest country for
games development.
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Brighton is home to a thriving games
industry but it has been claimed this growth
could be hampered if the Government does
not offer more help through tax breaks or
other subsidies.
Geoff Heath, chief executive officer of
NCSoft Europe, based in Trafalgar Place,
said: "The Government seem to be happy to
take our taxes, however, they do very little
to proactively support the games industry."
Andy Eades is co-founder of Relentless
Software, based in Air Street, which is
approaching ten million units sold for its
Buzz quiz games developed for Sony.
He said: "I would definitely want a tax
break for my payroll as most of our operating
costs come from salaries. I could
reinvest that money and be even more
successful."
NCSoft is regarded as the world's leading
developer of online multiplayer games and
last September received a £950,000 grant
from the South East England Development
Agency to expand and create 100 new jobs.
Despite this cash injection, the company
cannot guarantee it will continue to base its
European operations in Brighton.
Thomas Bidaux, NCSoft product development
director, said: "We have established
an internal development studio within our
offices and Brighton has served us well in
providing a haven of experienced and
talented individuals.
"Ultimately as a company, we must go
where the talent is and we won't limit
ourselves to the UK. If financial circumstances
don't improve it might
result in us developing our titles outside
of England."
Both NCSoft and Relentless would
like the Government to treat the games
industry similarly to the heavily subsidised
British film industry.
Mr Eades said: "We are not
being treated as seriously as film.
The UK is not just producing art
house' games either. One of the
biggest games of the year,
GTA4, is about to be released,
which will make millions and
millions of pounds and is
being made in Edinburgh.
"I would say to the Government
that we make
some of the best games in
the world and make lots
of money for the
economy but we could do
even better and even
become the world leader
if you help us with
investment."
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