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Jo Twist has been extolling the strength of the games industry since she joined UKIE on January 9th
100 days of Twist UKIE boss Jo Twist looks back at her first 100 days in charge and what the trade body must do next
MAY 21ST, my 100th day in charge of the only trade body in the UK that represents the entirety of the games and wider interactive entertainment industry, passed me by. This was by accident. It was marked on my wall calendar, but I was so entrenched in the actual job of creating our strategic roadmap, and readying it for public view, that I only clocked it a week later. It was day two when I realised what a unique view that UKIE has of the UK games industry and what an equally unique position we are in to deliver activity that supports, grows, and promotes the businesses within it.
24 June 22nd 2012 “
We’re also offering anyone in the industry discounted access to the biggest industry trade fair in Europe, Gamescom and GDC Jo Twist, UKIE
As what we mean by ‘games’, how we define ‘the games industry’ and ‘gamers’ moves on (evolves, bleeds into other screens, other behaviours, through the cloud, on the move, into everyone’s lives) so what we do as a trade association flexes in tandem. We are, and I commit us to continue to be, the only organisation in the country that represents the widest possible meaning of our fantastic industry and the people who make it happen. You only have to look at our latest membership list to see the breadth of the companies that sit under the
UKIE banner making up this interactive ecosystem: all the major publishers remain a core part of UKIE membership but we also now represent the cream of UK development talent, and in fact non- publisher members now make up the majority of our membership. This includes promising start-ups like RIE Studios, rising stars such as Six to Start, Mediatonic and Mind Candy, as well as established triple-A studios like Creative Assembly and TT Games. We also have distributors, academic institutions, new publishers, and media outlets that are integral to