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UKIE | BETA
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a much bigger remit that we want to cover. That’s why we’re doing it. This is no longer an exclusive old boys’ club – it is welcoming and requires participation and ownership from within to make it what our members want it to be, so we want them to come and join us.” COME TOGETHER What that means is that UKIE will begin the daunting task of aligning the concerns and ambitions of developers and publishers; two groups often seen as diametrically opposed. “The difficulty for each end of the business is making the right connections,” explains Rawlinson. “Sometimes developers can feel that publishers don’t want to see them and they are turned away at the door – but they must not forget that publishers wouldn’t survive without their content. Whether that’s from an internal studio, or a third-party, they
need each other at some point or other, either to service the goods or the relationship. “UKIE can add a huge amount to the industry to help the wide array of people within it get together and network – that will help break down those barriers and any fear of resentment of ‘the other side’, to show that both sides of the business should, will and can work together and be more united for the good of the industry going forward.” Perhaps surprisingly, UKIE is also stepping away from the tax breaks issue for the time being. While it will still build a case for their introduction, it is presently to shift focus to promoting the UK’s position as a leader of the games industry, and promote the nation as a destination for companies and individuals working in the games industry. Ultimately UKIE will be sharper, more vocal, and more proactive than its forbearer, which can only mean better things for UK developers.
As part of its new strategy to widen the pool of individuals and companies it represents UKIE has introduced a new £500 membership package. It’s hoped the low-cost fee will help attract the emerging wave of online, casual, social and mobile games that the organisation formerly called ELSPA wants to reach. Like ELSPA, membership of UKIE provides access to UK sales information and research, discounts for industry events, and contribution to member taskforces and working parties addressing the issues facing the industry. But the significantly lower fee – which has been introduced beneath the higher-level packages including a £2,500 associate industry member price – will help widen the pool of people contributing to the revitalised tradeorganisation. UKIE director general Michael Rawlinson explains the motivation for introducing a way to welcome new kinds of company to the fold: “Whilst the physical product market remains strong, the boundaries between traditional developers and publishers are blurring and new business models are emerging. “Our new lower membership fee shows that UKIE welcomes these exciting new interactive entertainment businesses and is committed to representing them and giving them the support that they need to thrive.” Check out the UKIE website (see below) for more.
A SITE FOR SORE EYES ELSPA’s rebirth as the UKIE includes a substantially upgraded website, which adds updates on campaigns with Government and more regular communication with its members to the existing members area and chart database. The new site also boasts a new forum and the provision of networking opportunities for individuals whose companies are signed up as members. Ancillary services like recruitment feeds are also under consideration. “Showcasing is a big part of the website as well,” says Rawlinson. “Every company who is a member of UKIE will have the opportunity to showcase their work to other members and to the world at large. That could be very useful for someone creating content that might want to reach out to publishers.” www.ukie.info
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