Research: UK Cities With the Most Games Businesses
- There are currently 2,555 active games businesses across the UK, an increase of over 31% since 2016.
- The majority of them are located in England, 2,001, while 713 of those are in London.
- Edinburgh, the only city outside of England, is in 10th place, with 30 games businesses in its area.
Currently, there are 2,555 active games businesses across the UK, an increase of over 31% compared to 2016. The largest number of them are games companies, 2,202, while 213 are service companies, and 140 are academic institutions which offer training and courses related to gaming.
A research commissioned by Gembyte.com took a closer look at the data by The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) to find out where the games businesses are located. By doing so, the researchers came up with a list of the best regions, cities, and towns for everyone dreaming of a successful gaming career in the UK.
Out of the 2,555 businesses, the vast majority are located in England, 2,001, 108 are in Scotland, 59 in Wales, while 38 games businesses are located in Northern Ireland.
When it comes to regions, Yorkshire and the Humber has the highest number of active games businesses, 128. It is followed by West Midlands with 125 businesses and East Midlands, which has 104 games businesses.
| City | Number of companies |
| London | 713 |
| Manchester | 75 |
| Brighton | 72 |
| Guildford | 71 |
| Slough | 63 |
| Cambridge | 45 |
| Bristol | 42 |
| Sheffield | 38 |
| Leamington Spa | 36 |
| Edinburgh | 30 |
| Nottingham | 26 |
| Leeds | 26 |
Looking at the specific towns and cities, the vast majority of the games businesses are located in London, 713.
London is followed by Manchester with its 75 businesses, Brighton with 72 businesses, and Guildford, where 71 games businesses are located.
Out of the top 12 towns and cities, Edinburgh is the only city outside of England on the list; with 30 games businesses, Scotland’s capital is on the 10th place.