After ongoing talks in the last few weeks, TIGA has confirmed it will not be merging with UKIE despite lobbying by industry vets and government officials alike.
Ed Vaizey MP was just one in favor of the merger, but according to GI.biz, the talks instigated by UKIE over the past few months fell through.
“TIGA and its board would like to make it clear that we have no plans to merge with any other organisation,” read a statement from TIGA. “We do not see value in distracting ourselves with talks towards such an end while the games industry faces pressing matters including Games Tax Relief, R&D tax credits, improving access to finance, migration policy, education and skills and IP.
“While we do not consider it a priority that the UK games industry be represented by a single trade organisation, we appreciate the appetite some parties may have in this regard. As far as we are concerned TIGA is that body, since it has transformed the industry’s political profile and consistently provided exemplary leadership on the key issues facing the games industry in recent years.
“TIGA has increased the political influence of our sector not least by instigating the creation of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Computer and Video Games Industry. TIGA has decisively improved the profile of our industry in the mainstream media, generating positive stories about our sector on national television, radio and in the press.”
TIGA said it would welcome UKIE as a member to its organization should it harbor shared “aims” and “mission”; however, “some other trade associations have been ambivalent at best” regarding Tax Relief. This statement was likely a tiny smack to the forehead of UKIE after it publicly stated to the DCMS in 2009 that a “restrictive trade and legal environment” would occur if “videogames were to be deemed a cultural service or product,” while claiming it did not oppose tax breaks.
The above is just a smattering of the comprehensive article, which you can read through the link.
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