BBC could be "perfect ambassador" for UK industry

BBC Worldwide EVP Robert Nashak has said that the broadcaster is actively looking at how it can use the BBC brand to champion the cause of UK games development.

Speaking with Eidos life president Ian Livingstone during the Game Horizon conference in Newcastle today, Nashak said the corporation is open to suggestions about how it can work closer with the independent developer community and help promote the UK scene to a worldwide audience.

"We're super interested in that," commented Nashak. "We are the perfect ambassador for indie game development in the UK and around the world, so we're looking at ways to do that.

"Imagine the BBC for the games world represents the best and the brightest from the UK and promotes the industry, and the good contribution we can make."

BBC Worldwide currently works with independent games developers on a number of educational and entertainment branded titles for online and mobile formats.

One of those companies, Reloaded, told GamesIndustry.biz that it hopes to convince broadcasters and educators to think more as a publishing company rather than just as a brand licensor, in-turn helping the independent and social games scenes grow.

"That can work for brands and educators, and we feel like we've done it pretty successful on Channel 4 Education, and we're working with another couple of clients trying to do the same thing," said Preloaded's Phil Stuart.

"The idea of being able to engage an immediate audience directly through games portals or via iTunes or Xbox is a really exciting thing for them, because it used to be just a few triple-A game studios - but now they can come to us and say 'we want reach this audience around this piece of science' and we can reach them through loads of different channels. "

Nashak also said that he didn't feel there was a wider problem at the BBC with the service accepting of a games agenda even if it's not necessarily reflected in wider entertainment programming.

"We only get into issues around the exploitation of games, where the commercial value lies. That's a sticky problem but it’s a reasonable one to have. In general it's been a good relationship so far."