Games Wales

Our History

Games Wales evolved from an original meet-up of eight people, organised by the founding chairman of Games Wales, Ian Thomas, in a Cardiff pub in 2011.

Not long after, a group of companies and organisations interested in the development of the games industry in Wales started to get together to talk about things – to share information, to try and provoke more interest in the industry, and to generally encourage and push for more awareness of the industry in Wales.

Around the same time, GamesLab held its Game Development Showcase, and through the good work of Dai Banner and Richard Pring (who went on to form Wales Interactive) and a team of volunteers, it became the Wales Games Development Show. All three of those things came under the banner of Games Wales with a simple mission statement – “To do all we can to champion game development in Wales.”

The show was the main focus for Games Wales but the pandemic meant the show scheduled for June 2020 and any following shows had to be cancelled.

In 2021 one of the founders of Games Wales, Richard Hurford, co-authored the Clwstwr Games Survey Wales. The report was published in 2022 and contained a number of recommendations that specifically referenced Games Wales role as a catalyst for change.

In 2023 we are launching our vision for the future of the games industry in Wales and are collaborating with a number of stakeholders in order to turn that vision into reality.

Our Vision

We’re developing and putting into action a highly ambitious 10-year plan that will allow for the potential of two AAA studios to be based here in Wales by 2033.

Stating an aim is easy, achieving it is a different matter. Several factors need to be considered and addressed if this ambition is to be achieved.

Where, geographically, should the initial focus be? What are the key economic indicators for that location? What can attract and retain the creative class of employees required to drive the industry here in Wales? And how do we ensure the required stream of talent is developed by Welsh universities?

Quality of life, housing costs and transport infrastructure all need to be taken into consideration.

The purpose of this plan is to create a thriving games industry and economy here in Wales, making Wales an attractive and viable location for game companies to start and locate. Allowing indigenous companies to thrive, grow, and significantly contribute to the Welsh economy.

Several endeavours are currently underway that will help make this plan achievable. We are also fortunate that past efforts to deliver substantial growth in the games sector within the UK exist as exemplars and we can benefit from these learnings as we develop our own roadmap here in Wales.

We are currently working in partnership with a number of key stakeholders, making the case for investment, demonstrating the potential for growth and in the long term developing Wales as a home for games.