Creative industries
Scotland’s creative industries employ nearly 80,000 people, adding £4.4 billion to the Scottish economy each year. From games development, film and TV production to finding innovative tech solutions, we’ve been expanding our training facilities to ensure the necessary skilled talent is available to join the industry every year.
£4.4 billion Value
Creative industries are worth £4.4 billion to the Scottish economy
77,000 employees
Workforce of 77,000 employed in the creative industries sector in Scotland
91% engaged in culture
91% of the Scottish population engage in cultural activity
Source: Scottish Economic Statistics, Scottish Enterprise April 2019
Creative industries snapshot
Scotland has great strength in games and software development, digital technology and film and TV.
Our digital cluster is growing with world-class companies in all areas of digital technology, from international leaders in games development and new media platforms to national broadcasters and some of the most creative digital agencies in the UK.
Scottish universities are producing high-calibre graduates educated in the latest technologies and specialising in areas where there's specific demand in the industry.
Our costs for staff and property, are significantly lower than London, New York or Los Angeles.
A supportive tech community
Our breathtaking landscape with mountains, coastline, ancient forests and unique light conditions have always made Scotland an ideal filming location.
You’ll see Scotland’s landscape used in classic films like Local Hero, The Thirty Nine Steps and in more recent international blockbusters, such as Skyfall and World War Z. Epic TV productions such as Outlander are filmed on location in Scotland too.
We also have generous tax rebates for UK productions and experienced, award-winning producers, directors, cast and crew.
The Scottish transmedia company blazing a trail across the world
Scotland-based transmedia company, Blazing Griffin has achieved meteoric production success. They are the team that created the feature film Anna and The Apocalypse, the video game Murderous Pursuits and worked on global TV sensation Outlander. And all from their Glasgow HQ. Blazing Griffin's work with Outlander has given it global recognition, and it's now working with companies across the world, including Netflix, MGM and HBO.
Scotland: The perfect place to play
For the last two decades, Scotland has been at the vanguard of video gaming innovation, with some of the best-selling video games of all time emerging from Scotland, such as Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Crackdown, Lemmings and, more recently, Angry Birds Stella POP.
These global successes have been borne out of a vibrant and connected games environment. Come to Scotland and you’ll be connected to a culture of innovation and creativity through our academic institutions such as Abertay University, the Glasgow School of Art and award-winning digital skills academy CodeClan, which have an outstanding record of industry collaboration.
Scotland's educational establishments offer courses covering all elements of games development ensuring a steady stream of new talent.
The convergence of sectors, like digital media and augmented reality, means opportunities are growing fast.
You’ll be in good company. Scotland’s dynamic and connected gaming cluster boasts global studios and creative innovators including Rockstar North, Axis Studios, 4J Studios, ChilliConnect, deltaDNA, Krotos, Cobra Mobile, No Code and YoYo Games.
Did you know?
Scotland is home to one of the largest centres of games development in the UK, employing over 1500 developers and another 3000 people indirectly.
The UK’s first ever Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education is at Abertay University in Dundee, ranked 1st in Europe for video games degrees for the fifth year in a row by the Princetown Review.
Scotland is investing in gaming innovation. InGAME is a £11.5 million R&D centre in Dundee which will drive process, technology and product innovation across games and media.
Scotland is a high value location so you can carry out your games development here at a lower cost than many other European and UK locations. Developer costs are 40% lower than London and operating costs are 30% lower than elsewhere in the UK.
Scotland attracts global names and talent. The founders of Outplay Entertainment, co developers of Angry Birds Stella POP, swapped California for Dundee thanks to the allure of Scottish tech talent. From its Dundee base, Outplay has been able to connect with overseas partners and become part of a global phenomenon. And, thanks to the skills and experience available across the country, Scotland offers the perfect location for further expansion.
“Scotland is a phenomenal place to both visit and ultimately to live. We have some of the best universities in the world. There's no question that Scotland is one of the most connected places in the world.”
Douglas Hare, founder and CEO, Outplay
Technology expertise
By locating in Scotland, you can access our expertise in:
Video game innovation
Scottish companies such as ChilliConnect and deltaDNA excel at developing live ops platforms, monetising and analytics to personalise games to optimise revenue streams and have both now been acquired by Unity Technologies.
Data and artificial intelligence (AI)
The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and artificial intelligence (AI), ensures that Scotland’s capabilities in AI are maximised, offering games companies access to exciting graphics innovations to enhance the realistic experience of the end user.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
VR and AR are core to Scotland’s gaming success, with key investments being made in the sector. Project Mobius, a £1m collaboration between the University of Glasgow and Sublime Digital, is building a pioneering VR education platform to transform learning globally, by allowing higher education institutions across the globe to harness the power of learning behaviour data.
Speech graphics
Scotland is leading the way in developing innovative lip synchronisation, facial expressions and behaviour technology to make characters more lifelike.
Gamification in healthcare
Scotland’s strength in life sciences creates plentiful cross-sectoral opportunities. One example is Konglomerate Games’ innovative product – designed in partnership with Microsoft – which turns the daily chore of physiotherapy exercises for children with cystic fibrosis into a series of fun computer games.
EdTech
Many of our companies are using educational gaming to drive innovation. Robotical uses Marty the robot to teach electronics, robotics, coding and more while Skoog Music’s assistive technology is bringing coding and music to life for children, parents and teachers.
Microdisplays for VR
Microdisplay technology is driving immersive VR innovation in Scotland, with Forth Dimension Displays designing and manufacturing high-resolution near-to-eye microdisplays for military, medical and virtual reality imagers.
Scotland's flourishing startup community
Scottish companies are producing apps across multiple sectors and devices. Scotland also has a flourishing startup community, with successful homegrown unicorn companies such as Skyscanner.
"The tech scene in Scotland is one where fellow companies will eagerly share learnings and their experience, and I love the approach of ‘the more start-ups, the better."
Gareth Williams, co-founder of Skyscanner
Right place, right people
For any tech company to stay ahead of the pack, it has to find, recruit, and retain the very best graduates.
"We find Scotland’s universities to be a brilliant source of talent. As a city, Edinburgh is a very desirable place to live - it is compact, with so much green space and a continuous schedule of events, festivals and more. Plus there is a growing community of many fellow software engineers."
Gareth Williams, co-founder of Skyscanner
Scotland's games ecosystem webinar
Learn why Scotland is a great place for games development, commercial opportunities and a supportive business community. Register to watch this free playback.
Tax relief for creative companies
There are some tax-relief options for creative companies in Scotland, including:
- High-End Television Tax Relief (HTR) - a 25% rebate for scripted television projects with a minimum core expenditure of £1 million per broadcast hour.
- Film tax relief (FTR) - your company can claim FTR on a film if it is intended for theatrical release and at least 10% of the production costs will be spent in the UK. All projects will need to pass a cultural test set by the British Film Institute.
We’ll help you find your skilled workforce
We will connect you to the talent, creativity and companies you need to grow and prosper. With the support of Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency, we can help you establish your company quickly and smoothly overcome any obstacles.
Scotland: The perfect place to play guide (PDF, 725kB)
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