#gamesactionplan — Public Fediverse posts

What The New UK Government’s £30M Games Funding Means For Scotland

This week’s announcement of a £30 million Games Growth Package by the UK Government marks a significant moment of recognition for the interactive sector. With the doubling of the UK Games Fund (UKGF) to £28.5 million and the introduction of grants up to £250,000, Westminster has finally acknowledged the importance (and potential) of the £8.8 billion consumer market. However, while this capital injection is a vital down payment for de-risking new intellectual property, it is not a complete strategy for the future of the Scottish supercluster.

For Scotland, this news has a deep resonance. The UK Games Fund was born in Dundee, emerging from the Dare to be Digital programme at Abertay University. It is a Scottish success story that has been exported to the rest of the UK. Yet, the physical location of the fund in Dundee does not offer an inherent advantage to Scottish studios. Without a formalised national strategy to interface with this capital, Scotland risks acting as a landlord for a UK asset rather than a primary beneficiary of its expansion.

The limitation of the DCMS package lies in its ‘industry’ focus. As Nick Poole, CEO of UKIE, noted: “Targeted support across the development pipeline will help studios start, scale and stay globally competitive.” This vision remains firmly trapped within the consumer games market, which remains hugely volatile and increasingly competitive. It focuses on the entertainment side of games, while ignoring the wider ecosystem of interactive technology. It won’t address the sectoral isolation that keeps games expertise separated from the rest of the Scottish economy.

Please don’t misunderstand. The money is hugely valuable – and very welcome. However, there are a number of challenges facing the games sector, which the funding alone cannot solve. The industry is currently facing an oversupply of graduates, a lack of entry-level positions, and ongoing global market volatility. Throwing capital at studios without providing the commercial scaffolding required to build sustainable businesses is a high-risk approach. This is why the National Games Action Plan is essential. While the UK Government funding provides the fuel, the Action Plan provides the road, and the guidebook for the journey.

Projects like the Hello World! Startup Summit have already proven that we can transform a vulnerable talent pool into a resilient wave of new founders. By providing dedicated, games-specific business support alongside funding, we ensure that studios do not just survive a grant period but scale into the kind of high-growth companies Scotland needs.

With the Scottish Parliament now in recess and the election period beginning, the next administration faces a clear challenge. The UK Government has set the pace with this Growth Package. Scotland must now build upon it. While this new funding could be used to match-fund successful Scottish UKGF applications, the most critical single action remains strategic alignment – recognition of games as a key sector for Scotland’s future, building understanding of the whole games ecosystem across government and appointing a Chief Games Officer (CGO).

A CGO would provide the accountability and leadership required to elevate games across every portfolio of the Scottish Government. This role would enable the country to engage more successfully with UK-level funding while ensuring that our £151,382 GVA-per-head productivity is leveraged across areas including healthcare, energy, fintech, data, tech and education.

The goal is to establish a £1 billion supercluster by 2030. The DCMS announcement is a very welcome boost, but it does not remove the fundamental structural issues facing the sector. To move beyond the silo and achieve true national impact, the incoming Scottish Government must implement the Games Action Plan. The capital is now on the table – it is time for the strategic delivery to begin and for games to become an integral part of Scotland’s digital future.

The Golden Thread: Digital Health and Data Leaders Back Games Action Plan

The growing support for the future of Scotland’s games ecosystem has moved beyond the creative industries. In a significant move for the sector, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) and The Data Lab have formally aligned with the Level Up Scotland Games Action Plan, highlighting its potential to transform the nation’s digital future.

A Cross-Sector Mandate

In an article published this week, the DHI identifies games technology as a ‘Golden Thread’ for Scotland’s digital mental health and therapeutic innovation. The analysis reinforces a core pillar of the five+ year R&D roadmap: that games are no longer just entertainment, but high-performance tools for social, creative and economic impact.

The DHI feature supports the publication of the Games Action Plan, noting that its focus on skills, innovation, and ecosystem support is vital to integrating games technology into healthcare.

The Report States:

For those working at the intersection of games, immersive technology and mental health, this moment matters. The Action Plan’s focus on skills, sustainable growth, responsible innovation and ecosystem support aligns closely with the needs of digital mental health developers, from serious games and therapeutic experiences to tools supporting prevention, engagement and recovery. 

The Triple Helix of Innovation

This endorsement is supported by The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI. Welcoming the publication of the roadmap, Heather Thomson, CEO of The Data Lab, noted:

• The Data Lab welcomes the publication of Level Up Scotland: A National Action Plan for the Scottish Games Sector. Scotland’s games industry is a significant contributor to our economy and shares strong synergies with the data and AI ecosystem, consuming and producing vast amounts of data, developing techniques and talent, with demand for shared skillsets. This evidence-based Action Plan provides a framework to support sustainable economic impact, strengthen talent pipelines and unlock investment. We support the vision and ambition set out for the sector and its potential to drive wider innovation across Scotland’s data-driven and creative economy. –

This Triple Helix of support – Industry, Government-backed Innovation Centres, and Academic R&D – validates the Games Action Plan as the collective vision for a more connected, innovative, and collaborative Scotland.

From Vision to Enactment

The support from DHI and The Data Lab is not a call for more reviews; it is a call for collaboration and delivery. As the DHI article notes, the Action Plan provides the foundational strategy required to bridge the gap between game developers and health practitioners.

“This is exactly why we have spent years building this evidence base, says SGN CEO Brian Baglow. When we sit down with the Minister on 18 March, we aren’t just bringing an industry ask. We are bringing a cross-sectoral consensus supported by the very innovation centres the Scottish Government has built to drive our future.”

The Roadmap to March 18th

The Games Action Plan is the primary vision for the sector’s growth. With the backing of the health and data communities, the case for the Chief Games Officer, dedicated funding, a national focus on games skills and education, and the National Games Innovation Centre (NGIC) becomes ever more compelling.

We look forward to welcoming our colleagues from the DHI, The Data Lab, and the wider ecosystem to the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on games, on 18 March to move from strategic vision to national delivery.

If you’ve not yet read the Games Action Plan – or left a comment of support, you can do so here.

Photo by Alexander Sinn on Unsplash

Scotland’s Games Cross-Party Group – Last Meeting Before 2026 Elections

The momentum following the recent Parliamentary debate on Scotland’s games sector is translating into action.

The next meeting of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem will take place on March 18th, from 18:00 – 20:00. Interest from across the industry and academia has already been exceptionally high. With the committee room in the Scottish Parliament restricted to a strict capacity of only 26 people, the available in-person places are expected to be fully allocated.

The Implementation Scrutiny

The primary focus of this session is the promised line-by-line review of the Level Up Scotland Action Plan. During the recent debate at Holyrood, the Minister for Business and Employment, Richard Lochhead MSP, gave a public assurance that he would engage with the plan’s recommendations in detail.

We have formally invited the Minister to join us on 18 March to begin this process. While we are currently finalising the specific diary arrangements with his office, the session is being prepared as the definitive technical review of our implementation roadmap – including the proposed Chief Games Officer role and the Pilot Investment Fund.

Open Agenda

In addition to the Games Action Plan, the CPG can discuss all issues relevant to the games ecosystem in Scotland. If you have a topic you’d like covered, or a question for any of the stakeholders responsible for games in Scotland, please submit it here. The agenda will be published the week before the CPG meets.

A Roadmap Built on Evidence

This session is not a call for further discussion, but a move toward institutional delivery. While other voices have recently suggested a new task-and-finish review of the sector, the Scottish Games Network remains firm: that work has already been completed.

The Action Plan is the result of years of rigorous, audited evidence. It is the direct implementation of the 2022 Scotland’s Games Ecosystem study by the business schools at the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling, combined with our own 18-month consultation involving 22 technical workshops with over 300 stakeholders.

The review phase is now complete. This was an extensive, expert-led undertaking that engaged hundreds of stakeholders from every corner of the ecosystem to ensure the final blueprint is unassailable. We have the data, we have the community consensus, and we have the roadmap ready for the Minister to examine.

Securing Your Attendance

The in-person capacity for this session is extremely tight. If you are a studio founder, a researcher, or a key stakeholder in Scotland’s games economy who wishes to be present for this review, we encourage you to register immediately.

The “secret weapon” is out of the shadows. On 18 March, we show the Government that the industry is ready to transition from strategic vision to national delivery.

Register to attend Scotland’s Games Cross-Party Group here (in-person and online tickets available).

If you’ve not yet read Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, or left a comment supporting it, you can do so here.

Image courtesy of: Cassandra Harrison Art.

Industry Alignment: IES’s First Scottish Manifesto Validates Action Plan Priorities

IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus.

Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister’s commitment to a “line-by-line” review of our Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) Ukie’s Scotland organisation publish their manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Strategic Alignment

It is encouraging to see that the core pillars of our community-led Games Action Plan – which was forged through 18 months of intensive consultation – are now being echoed by the UK’s games trade body. The IES Manifesto’s focus on targeted pilot funding, strengthening institutional knowledge within government, and a national data strategy directly aligns with the Games Action Plan and provides a unified mandate for Scotland’s future.

From Campaigning to Delivery

While the IES Manifesto looks toward the next Scottish Government in 2026, Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan is designed for the here and now.

“We welcome this validation from our colleagues at Ukie,” says Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network. “It proves that our community-driven approach has correctly identified the pressure points in our ecosystem. While IES is rightly setting out the long-term vision for the next parliament, we are currently working with the current Parliament to deliver the Chief Games Officer and the Pilot Fund today. As well as education stakeholders to build a national games skills forum.”

The “Golden Thread” Advantage

One area where Scotland continues to lead is in our “More Than Games” vision. While the national manifesto focuses on the games industry in isolation, the Games Action Plan – backed by endorsements from Scotland’s existing innovation centres, including The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – treats games technology as the “Golden Thread” running through the entire digital economy.

Cross-Party Group & Ministerial Review

We’re now working with CPG co-chairs, Clare Adamson MSP and Michael Marra MSP, to identify and confirm a date for a meeting of the games CPG. Once confirmed, we will, of course, be inviting Richard Lochhead MSP for the promised Ministerial review. At the meeting, we will be presenting a plan that is not just supported by the Scottish games community, ecosystem, and the media, but also underpins the manifesto of the UK’s games industry trade body.

The call to action is clear. The games ecosystem is speaking with one voice. It is time to deliver the UK’s first Games Supercluster.

You can download and read the IES Games Manifesto here.

If you’ve not yet read, or left a message of support or endorsement for Scotland’s Games Action Plan, you can find both documents and leave a comment here.

Industry Alignment: IES’s First Scottish Manifesto Validates Action Plan Priorities

IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus.

Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister’s commitment to a “line-by-line” review of our Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) Ukie’s Scotland organisation publish their manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Strategic Alignment

It is encouraging to see that the core pillars of our community-led Games Action Plan – which was forged through 18 months of intensive consultation – are now being echoed by the UK’s games trade body. The IES Manifesto’s focus on targeted pilot funding, strengthening institutional knowledge within government, and a national data strategy directly aligns with the Games Action Plan and provides a unified mandate for Scotland’s future.

From Campaigning to Delivery

While the IES Manifesto looks toward the next Scottish Government in 2026, Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan is designed for the here and now.

“We welcome this validation from our colleagues at Ukie,” says Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network. “It proves that our community-driven approach has correctly identified the pressure points in our ecosystem. While IES is rightly setting out the long-term vision for the next parliament, we are currently working with the current Parliament to deliver the Chief Games Officer and the Pilot Fund today. As well as education stakeholders to build a national games skills forum.”

The “Golden Thread” Advantage

One area where Scotland continues to lead is in our “More Than Games” vision. While the national manifesto focuses on the games industry in isolation, the Games Action Plan – backed by endorsements from Scotland’s existing innovation centres, including The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – treats games technology as the “Golden Thread” running through the entire digital economy.

Cross-Party Group & Ministerial Review

We’re now working with CPG co-chairs, Clare Adamson MSP and Michael Marra MSP, to identify and confirm a date for a meeting of the games CPG. Once confirmed, we will, of course, be inviting Richard Lochhead MSP for the promised Ministerial review. At the meeting, we will be presenting a plan that is not just supported by the Scottish games community, ecosystem, and the media, but also underpins the manifesto of the UK’s games industry trade body.

The call to action is clear. The games ecosystem is speaking with one voice. It is time to deliver the UK’s first Games Supercluster.

You can download and read the IES Games Manifesto here.

If you’ve not yet read, or left a message of support or endorsement for Scotland’s Games Action Plan, you can find both documents and leave a comment here.

Industry Alignment: IES’s First Scottish Manifesto Validates Action Plan Priorities

IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus.

Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister’s commitment to a “line-by-line” review of our Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) Ukie’s Scotland organisation publish their manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Strategic Alignment

It is encouraging to see that the core pillars of our community-led Games Action Plan – which was forged through 18 months of intensive consultation – are now being echoed by the UK’s games trade body. The IES Manifesto’s focus on targeted pilot funding, strengthening institutional knowledge within government, and a national data strategy directly aligns with the Games Action Plan and provides a unified mandate for Scotland’s future.

From Campaigning to Delivery

While the IES Manifesto looks toward the next Scottish Government in 2026, Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan is designed for the here and now.

“We welcome this validation from our colleagues at Ukie,” says Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network. “It proves that our community-driven approach has correctly identified the pressure points in our ecosystem. While IES is rightly setting out the long-term vision for the next parliament, we are currently working with the current Parliament to deliver the Chief Games Officer and the Pilot Fund today. As well as education stakeholders to build a national games skills forum.”

The “Golden Thread” Advantage

One area where Scotland continues to lead is in our “More Than Games” vision. While the national manifesto focuses on the games industry in isolation, the Games Action Plan – backed by endorsements from Scotland’s existing innovation centres, including The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – treats games technology as the “Golden Thread” running through the entire digital economy.

Cross-Party Group & Ministerial Review

We’re now working with CPG co-chairs, Clare Adamson MSP and Michael Marra MSP, to identify and confirm a date for a meeting of the games CPG. Once confirmed, we will, of course, be inviting Richard Lochhead MSP for the promised Ministerial review. At the meeting, we will be presenting a plan that is not just supported by the Scottish games community, ecosystem, and the media, but also underpins the manifesto of the UK’s games industry trade body.

The call to action is clear. The games ecosystem is speaking with one voice. It is time to deliver the UK’s first Games Supercluster.

You can download and read the IES Games Manifesto here.

If you’ve not yet read, or left a message of support or endorsement for Scotland’s Games Action Plan, you can find both documents and leave a comment here.

Industry Alignment: IES’s First Scottish Manifesto Validates Action Plan Priorities

IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus.

Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister’s commitment to a “line-by-line” review of our Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) Ukie’s Scotland organisation publish their manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Strategic Alignment

It is encouraging to see that the core pillars of our community-led Games Action Plan – which was forged through 18 months of intensive consultation – are now being echoed by the UK’s games trade body. The IES Manifesto’s focus on targeted pilot funding, strengthening institutional knowledge within government, and a national data strategy directly aligns with the Games Action Plan and provides a unified mandate for Scotland’s future.

From Campaigning to Delivery

While the IES Manifesto looks toward the next Scottish Government in 2026, Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan is designed for the here and now.

“We welcome this validation from our colleagues at Ukie,” says Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network. “It proves that our community-driven approach has correctly identified the pressure points in our ecosystem. While IES is rightly setting out the long-term vision for the next parliament, we are currently working with the current Parliament to deliver the Chief Games Officer and the Pilot Fund today. As well as education stakeholders to build a national games skills forum.”

The “Golden Thread” Advantage

One area where Scotland continues to lead is in our “More Than Games” vision. While the national manifesto focuses on the games industry in isolation, the Games Action Plan – backed by endorsements from Scotland’s existing innovation centres, including The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – treats games technology as the “Golden Thread” running through the entire digital economy.

Cross-Party Group & Ministerial Review

We’re now working with CPG co-chairs, Clare Adamson MSP and Michael Marra MSP, to identify and confirm a date for a meeting of the games CPG. Once confirmed, we will, of course, be inviting Richard Lochhead MSP for the promised Ministerial review. At the meeting, we will be presenting a plan that is not just supported by the Scottish games community, ecosystem, and the media, but also underpins the manifesto of the UK’s games industry trade body.

The call to action is clear. The games ecosystem is speaking with one voice. It is time to deliver the UK’s first Games Supercluster.

You can download and read the IES Games Manifesto here.

If you’ve not yet read, or left a message of support or endorsement for Scotland’s Games Action Plan, you can find both documents and leave a comment here.

Industry Alignment: IES’s First Scottish Manifesto Validates Action Plan Priorities

IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus.

Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister’s commitment to a “line-by-line” review of our Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) Ukie’s Scotland organisation publish their manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Strategic Alignment

It is encouraging to see that the core pillars of our community-led Games Action Plan – which was forged through 18 months of intensive consultation – are now being echoed by the UK’s games trade body. The IES Manifesto’s focus on targeted pilot funding, strengthening institutional knowledge within government, and a national data strategy directly aligns with the Games Action Plan and provides a unified mandate for Scotland’s future.

From Campaigning to Delivery

While the IES Manifesto looks toward the next Scottish Government in 2026, Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan is designed for the here and now.

“We welcome this validation from our colleagues at Ukie,” says Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network. “It proves that our community-driven approach has correctly identified the pressure points in our ecosystem. While IES is rightly setting out the long-term vision for the next parliament, we are currently working with the current Parliament to deliver the Chief Games Officer and the Pilot Fund today. As well as education stakeholders to build a national games skills forum.”

The “Golden Thread” Advantage

One area where Scotland continues to lead is in our “More Than Games” vision. While the national manifesto focuses on the games industry in isolation, the Games Action Plan – backed by endorsements from Scotland’s existing innovation centres, including The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – treats games technology as the “Golden Thread” running through the entire digital economy.

Cross-Party Group & Ministerial Review

We’re now working with CPG co-chairs, Clare Adamson MSP and Michael Marra MSP, to identify and confirm a date for a meeting of the games CPG. Once confirmed, we will, of course, be inviting Richard Lochhead MSP for the promised Ministerial review. At the meeting, we will be presenting a plan that is not just supported by the Scottish games community, ecosystem, and the media, but also underpins the manifesto of the UK’s games industry trade body.

The call to action is clear. The games ecosystem is speaking with one voice. It is time to deliver the UK’s first Games Supercluster.

You can download and read the IES Games Manifesto here.

If you’ve not yet read, or left a message of support or endorsement for Scotland’s Games Action Plan, you can find both documents and leave a comment here.

The £1 Billion Blueprint: Scotland’s Games Action Is Ready – We Need You To Help Launch It.

Dear friends, colleagues (and the entire Scottish games community) I need to talk to you honestly about where we are – and ask for your help.

We are at the final milestone. After two years of intensive consultation, data-gathering, extensive feedback and planning, Scotland’s Games Action Plan is finished and ready for launch.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Business Minister Richard Lochhead and his team. I ran them through the high-level strategy, the compelling ROI, and the timeline for delivery. The meeting was a success. We are aligned on the need to move from fragmentation to a unified, £1 billion goal for Scotland’s games ecosystem by 2030.

Launching Scotland’s Games Action Plan

As many of you know, the planned launch at the Games Cross-Party Groups in September – and then November – did not take place due to conflicting parliamentary business. I’m working with the co-chairs to set new dates for the CPG in 2026, but that leaves the Games Action Plan in limbo.

I’ll be entirely honest: The Games Action Plan is too important and too urgent to wait for dates later next year. We cannot risk losing momentum or allowing this definitive community vision to be sidelined. This is not a piece of paper – it represents a vision for our future – and the enormous potential of Scotland’s whole games sector.

The Games Action Plan was built by the community – now I need to ask the community to help launch it.

A Personal Invitation: Join Us to Launch the Games Action Plan

Following the principles of the ‘Honest Architect’, I am reaching out directly to all of you – the developers, the educators, the artists, and the business leaders who believe in this vision. We are turning this hurdle into a powerful, public declaration and launch of our hard work.

We are inviting partners to co-launch the Games Action Plan in January 2026

To make this the high-impact launch this transformative strategy deserves, we are looking for partners to provide:

• A High-Profile Venue: A prestigious or highly accessible venue (e.g., a university, a tech hub, or an event space) in Dundee, Glasgow or Edinburgh that can host a professional, media and industry-focused launch event in early 2026.
• Logistical Partnership: Assistance with the small financial and logistical elements needed to make this launch professional and visible.
• Visibility & Voice: Organisations willing to stand on the stage alongside us to publicly endorse the plan and demonstrate unified support for its immediate implementation.

I am happy to offer launch partners the opportunity to have their logo in the final version of the Action Plan and a chance to actively and publicly support a project which aims to radically change the way games are understood and supported in Scotland, enable the creation of the UK’s first games ‘supercluster’ and create a billion-dollar industry within the next five years.

This Action Plan is a fully integrated system: it creates the role of a ‘Chief Games Officer‘ who will work with Scotland’s Chief Entrepreneur to guarantee high-yield funding (based on proven existing ROI models), and brings cross-sectoral innovation to the heart of the national agenda.

This is the blueprint. We have worked together (250+ companies, organisations and individuals from across Scotland, the UK and worldwide) to create the mandate. We need your help to give this transformative strategy the launch it deserves, ensuring the whole country knows the future of Scottish games is ready to begin now.

We need to act now. If your organisation wants to stand with the community and co-launch this transformative strategy in January 2026, please email me directly to discuss a partnership. The future of Scottish games starts with us.

~Brian

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