Scottish Cities Alliance

Scotland’s cities are seeing unprecedented engagement and market growth in the gaming industry.

With gaming and creative industries worth £5bn per year to the Scottish economy, testament to the exciting and cost-effective gaming clusters that can be found across the country in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.

Across the nation, cities are thriving thanks to the collaborative efforts of policymakers, developers, educators, researchers and innovators all working together to create a vibrant ecosystem, propelling Scottish cities and the gaming sector to the next level.

Why invest in Scotland?

• Supportive policy environment

The Scottish Government has given it’s backing to the creation of a UK first, national video games strategy.  With the support of the national TechScaler network and CodeBase, the strategy will enable the games ecosystem in Scotland to reach its full potential through the creation of an action plan which will provide tangible recommendations to increase knowledge of and support for games, led by the Scottish Games Network.

• Big Brand Investments and Start-Up Culture

Government initiatives coupled with private funding are creating fertile ground for entrepreneurs, startups, and major brands alike.

Scotland’s cities play home to renowned studios such as Rockstar North (creators of Grand Theft Auto) and 4J Studios (developers of Minecraft Console Edition), boasting a track record of top-tier games that captivate audiences and break sales records worldwide.

• Dundee: Widely recognised as the birthplace of Scotland’s gaming industry, and home to popular video game series such as Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings. As a UNESCO City of Design, Dundee’s creative pedigree provides strong opportunities for international collaboration with researchers at Abertay University currently leading a project to pave the way for more collaboration between the UK and Chinese video gaming industries.
• Glasgow: Named as the top cultural and creative centre in the UK, Glasgow is home to a digital technology cluster employing almost 80,000 people as noted in Knight Frank’s (RE)Play report . The city also ranks number one for both the number of digital tech students and graduates in UK cities.
• Edinburgh: Host to a plethora of indie-game developers and world-renowned companies, the city’s thriving gaming community includes companies such as FanDuel and Build a Rocket Boy as well as studios Blazing Griffin and Chunk and advertising leaders AdInMo.

From technological innovation to international gaming events, Scottish cities have a strong cultural foundation underpinning the industry’s success across the country. Studios such as Rivet Games in Stirling, and No Code in Glasgow and Hunted Cow in Elgin and a new gaming hub opening in Aberdeen further highlight the diversity and strength of Scotland’s gaming industry.

• Education and technological expertise:

Scotland’s cities boast an education system with a robust talent pool with over 175 gaming-related courses across 16 Scottish universities including Abertay, Heriot-Watt and Glasgow Caledonian. This creates one of the most skilled workforces in the world and with the expansion of training facilities and centres for excellence across Scottish cities, new talents are constantly attracted to these gaming hubs.

For investors, there is an opportunity to connect with more than 300 game development studios, offering these talents, skills, and creativity needed for growth.

Scotland’s Gaming Future

Scotland is not just playing the game; it’s changing it. Investing in Scottish cities gives you the best access to a huge gaming marketplace that comes with experience, backing and a real passion for creation and innovation. Explore investment opportunities here.