UK chancellor lauds British video games excellence

George Osborne has hailed the UK’s video games legacy – and what that means for Britain’s potential as a technology hub.

In official comments issued today supporting the new GREE studio in London, he said that "the Government is determined to make Britain the technology centre of Europe, with the London’s Tech City at its heart." 

The British Government has been proactively courting foreign businesses to open new bases in London – and so far has encouraged Amazon, Facebook and YouTube to establish new engineering teams in the capital.

Xbox is also opening a London studio, as is Konami’s PES Productions.

The UK games tax breaks scheme announced by Osborne in his April budget will have helped sweeten the deal for some.

GREE’s new studio is to be unveiled at today’s UKTI Global Business Summit on ICT – the Government has arranged a range of events exploring the various UK growth centres to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics.

"London 2012 is the perfect stage to show investors and entrepreneurs how much we have already achieved, and the exciting potential of what is to come," said Osborne.

"We are also proud to demonstrate the world-class innovation of the tech British industry, which is helping to deliver the most digitally-advanced games in history."