UKIE and Aream & Co present bullish UK games investment case as mobile metrics decline
Published 10 Nov 2026 · Games Atlas Editorial · Market Analysis · Companies: Fuse Games Limited, Playground Games
Games Atlas summary: UKIE CEO Nick Poole pitched UK games as a long-term winning bet at The Funding Formula. Aream & Co data puts the UK market at $11.6bn in 2025. UK-headquartered publishers' IAP revenue fell 7% YoY to $2.6bn. UK publisher MAUs fell 5% YoY to roughly 500m. Investors should weigh the bullish narrative against shrinking mobile performance and absent Budget support.
How to cite this page
Games Atlas — Games Industry Intelligence (2026). UKIE and Aream & Co present bullish UK games investment case as mobile metrics decline. Published 10 Nov 2026. https://gamesatlas.app/article/ukie-and-aream-co-present-bullish-uk-games-investment-case-as-mobile-metrics
The bull case rests on scale and premium IP
- "In the long-term, a bet on games … is always going to be a winning bet" - Nick Poole, CEO, UKIE
- Aream & Co ranks the UK as the sixth-largest games market globally.
- The sector employs more than 73,000 people.
- It hosts 1,444 games companies.
Console and PC releases anchor the evidence
- PC and console account for 60% of UK spend.
- Mobile accounts for 35% of spend.
- Other platforms account for the remaining 5%.
- Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to be the year's biggest launch.
- Playground Games' Forza Horizon 6 and Fuse Games' Star Wars: Galactic Racer also shipped this year.
UK publishers are losing ground in mobile
- UK publishers rank ninth globally for IAP revenue by HQ.
- That IAP revenue stands at $2.6bn, ↓7% YoY.
- UK publishers rank tenth for MAUs by HQ.
- MAUs stand at roughly 500m, ↓5% YoY.
- Both declines cut against the headline growth-sector framing.
Policy recognition has not yet reached fiscal support
- Poole cited unprecedented recognition of the sector from Government.
- He conceded that recognition was missing from the recent Budget.
- Investors therefore cannot price in new dedicated UK fiscal incentives.
Diligence should test IP ownership and platform mix
- The UK's strongest proof points are owned or flagship premium IP.
- Aream & Co cites decades of accumulated IP as a core UK asset.
- Falling IAP and MAU figures warrant tighter scrutiny of mobile-dependent studios.