Ukie pushes reforms to make UK an eSports hub

UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) has called on the UK government to initiate reforms that could help make the country a global hub for eSports.

The group made the call on Monday as the group published a 20-page, eSports whitepaper, outlining industry opportunities, growth areas and recommendations to government. Ukie projected that the esports sector is set to be worth $1bn globally by 2019.

“ESports – and in particular live tournament events – offer huge opportunities across the UK in job creation, local economic growth, tourism, new skills development, and giving a clear signal to the world about our ambitions around technology, innovation and creativity. The aim of this whitepaper is to give some context of this global industry,” Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie, said in a statement.

UK has the potential to become a global hub for eSports provided that the government will put up necessary measures that will nurture the industry’s growth in the country, according to Ukie.