The United Kingdom has more than 2,000 businesses operating in the gaming space. Their work covers a broad stretch of genres, including racing, strategy, horror and tactical shooter. The following are examples of some of the most notable U.K. gaming companies, which seek to produce titles featuring high-quality graphics and narratives.
UK Gaming Companies to Know
- Warner Bros. Discovery
- Playground Games
- Creative Assembly
- Sumo Digital
- Rebellion
- Sports Interactive
Top Gaming Companies in the UK
Warner Bros. Discovery is a global company responsible for a diverse range of brands across the media and entertainment landscape, including game developers such as TT Games. With studios across multiple locations in the U.K., TT Games is known for producing popular titles like Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and the Lego Harry Potter Collection.
Playground Games creates games for global audiences, and its reputation largely centers around the popularity of its racing-focused Forza Horizon game series. The company, which has been in business since 2010, employs artists, engineers and other game development experts who operate out of two U.K. studios.
Creative Assembly is a long-established game development studio that has been producing titles since 1987, and weathered huge leaps in gaming technology. Proudly collaborative and dedicated to the visual and narrative detail of its products, the studio prioritizes creative autonomy.
Sumo Digital, a video game development company, runs more than a dozen studios across Europe, India and North America, including PixelAnt Games, Red Kite Games and Lab42 Games. Sumo Digital has earned numerous “Best Workplace” awards and operates the Sumo Digital Academy, a training program for people who want to work in the gaming industry.
Multimedia studio Rebellion is an independent European gaming company best known for the series Sniper Elite, which is played by over 20 million people around the world. The company’s numerous subsidiaries include Audiomotion Studios, Rebellion Film Studios and Rebellion Publishing, which puts out various comics.
Sports Interactive makes immersive sports management simulations, similar to fantasy sports, but on a highly interactive level. Games include Football Manager and Eastside Hockey Manager, which both allow players to roleplay managerial positions in professional sports teams by choosing rosters, running drafts, making trades and then virtually hiring a head coach or stepping into the role themselves.
Independent game developer Bossa Games was founded in London in 2010. It builds cooperative multiplayer games like I Am Bread and Surgeon Simulator. Bossa Games’ newest effort is called Lost Skies, and is a cooperative survival adventure game.
Chucklefish is a British game developer specializing in retro-styled games. In addition to developing and publishing its own games, like Starbound and Wargroove, Chucklefish also offers support to indie game developers, providing technical, creative, legal, marketing and sales assistance. The company is based in London.
Part of PlayStation Studios, Media Molecule creates games that focus on player creativity and user interaction. Its best-known games include LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Media Molecule is based in Guildford and employs more than 100 people.
Hutch creates free-to-play games for Apple and Android mobile devices. Founded in 2011 with the intention of offering an alternative process to large game developers, its games have been downloaded over 300 million times. Hutch is based in London, with additional offices in Scotland and Canada.
In 2023, The Financial Times named Tripledot Studios the fastest growing companies in Europe. The mobile game maker, which focuses on single-player card and strategy games, was founded in 2017 and grew exponentially during pandemic lockdowns when people turned to phones and tablets for entertainment. Tripledot Studios is headquartered in London, with additional offices in Warsaw, Barcelona and Jakarta.
Curve Games publishes independent games for PC, consoles and mobile. It is known for games like For The King, The Ascent and Dungeons of Hinterberg. Curve Games was founded in 2005 and is based in Shoreditch, London.
Best known for its game TerraTech, Payload Studios is an independent game development studio that also serves as an incubator for early-stage and underrepresented developers. Its Tentacle Zone is a game-focused co-working space and virtual incubator located in London. Payload Studios was founded in 2013.
Whimsy Games has worked on more than 100 games since its founding in 2018. The company provides services including game design, leveling, character design and concept art creation, particularly 2D and 3D artwork. Whimsy Games is based in London.
Global gaming and digital media company Electronic Arts makes all kinds of games for a variety of gaming platforms. Its well-known games include EA Sports, The Sims, Plants vs. Zombies and FIFA. Electronic Arts’ main UK operations hub is in Guildford, one of its 38 locations around the world.
TT Games makes family-friendly video games. The British game developer’s portfolio includes LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, LEGO Harry Potter Collection and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. TT Games has sold over 200 million copies of its games. It is based in Knutsford, Cheshire, with additional locations in Cheshire, Berkshire, Sussex and Wilmslow.
American gaming company Epic Games is the company behind games like Fortnite, Rocket League and the original Gears of War trilogy. It also created Unreal Engine, a 3D creation engine used in not only game development but also film, television, architecture and automotive creation processes. Epic Games has three UK locations, in Guildford, Newcastle and Royal Leamington.
Ubisoft’s portfolio of popular game franchises includes Just Dance, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six. The American company has over 20,000 people working across more than 40 worldwide locations. It operates two studios In the UK: Ubisoft Leamington and Ubisoft Reflections, located in Newcastle.
Jagex creates massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Its well-known RuneScape franchise has more than 300 million player accounts and generated more than $1 billion in lifetime revenue. Jagex is headquartered in Cambridge and employs more than 600 people.
Software company TekRevol provides game development services along with mobile app development and web development. It specializes in developing 2D and 3D games for multiple platforms, focusing on high-quality graphics and immersive experiences. TekRevol is based in the United States and its London office is one of five international locations.
Activision Blizzard is known for uber-popular franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. The American company also operates e-sports leagues and events and develops content for film and television. Activision Blizzard’s UK headquarters is in London and it maintains a manufacturing and distribution facility in Birmingham.
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