Agency, Ambition And The Future Of UK Games

Recorded following Pocket Gamer Connects London, hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Craig Chapple sit down with Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie, for a candid conversation about risk, ambition and what it will take to make the UK the best place to build and scale a games business.Nick brings a rare perspective to the role. Before leading the UK’s trade body for games, he worked across libraries, museums and chaired Wikimedia UK. His throughline has always been culture, creativity and how institutions shape innovation. Now he’s applying that lens to games.In this episode, we unpack:Why the UK risks becoming an “incubator economy” if it cannot retain IP and talentWhat’s broken in the funding ladder from prototype to scale-upWhy tax relief is about competitiveness, not handoutsHow risk appetite across the industry has shifted post-2020Why studios must build companies, not just gamesWhat the Games Growth Package, expanded UK Games Fund and new skills initiatives actually mean in practiceNick is clear: the industry cannot afford to talk itself down. The UK remains one of the most creative and export-driven games markets in the world. But ambition and coordinated action are essential.We also explore the future of play, the role of generative AI in production pipelines and why automation should unlock creativity, not replace it.If you are a founder, investor or studio leader navigating 2025–26, this episode is about one thing:Reclaiming agency.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Pocket Gamer Connects London Highlights01:14 Guest Intro: Nick Poole's Career Path from Museums to Games03:57 Understanding Ukie: The Sword and Shield of the UK Games Industry05:40 Why Historical Government Support for UK Games Has Lacked07:41 How Studios Can Lobby Effectively: The "Made in the UK" Campaign11:51 Fixing the "Broken Rungs" in the Game Funding Ladder14:55 Building the New: Adapting Business Models for 2026 and Beyond16:14 Tax Reliefs and Fiscal Stimulus: Moving from VGTR to VGEC22:04 Industrial Strategy: Skills, Trade Missions, and the UK Games Fund36:58 The Future of AI in Games: Productivity, Curation, and Discovery Let's Connect👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event