We must be positive about UK industry - Rawlinson

The director general of the newly-rebranded UKIE has told GamesIndustry.biz that there needs to be more positivity about the talent and opportunity in the UK videogames business - and that he believes the country's industry is still growing.

Speaking at the launch of UKIE he acknowledged the recent collapse of Realtime Worlds, as well as claims that the UK had fallen behind Canada to fourth in the global development rankings - but queried whether or not the data was bulletproof.

"I think there are two things to note. One is that a lot of the measurements, unfortunately, are not complete," he said. "So we're measuring the state of the UK industry based on the old business models, and I'm not sure we're full factored in the new ones yet.

"That may not affect the movement from third to fourth in terms of development capacity - however, the cake is growing, so the UK is still growing - which is hugely positive. I don't think we should underestimate our heritage, creativity and ability to really lead going forwards."

But he was clear about his intention to be more positive about the business landscape.

"I really want to talk the UK up - yes, support from the government and a specific tax incentive to draw inward investment would of course be hugely beneficial. I think it's going to be some way off, but we'll continue to champion that.

"In the meantime let's not say 'Woe is me!' Let's say 'We're open for business, come and buy what we've got to offer, because we've got some amazing talent and amazing creative business here.'"

The full interview with Michael Rawlinson, in which he also outlines more about UKIE's new remit and how the organisation might continue to work with TIGA, is available now.