WOMEN PLAY THE GAMES, BUT MEN STILL CONTROL THE INDUSTRY


A new Insight Report from Women in Games reveals a sharp drop-off from players to power, leadership and investment. Women in Games CEO Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman discusses the issue…


W


omen in Games has revealed a stark imbalance at the heart of the global games industry: while


women are increasingly present as players and professionals, they remain dramatically underrepresented where power, leadership and investment decisions are made. Our major new Insight Report – The


Drop-Off: Women in Games from Players to Power and Capital – exposes what we believe is one of the industry’s most significant but least visible structural problems. Women are highly visible as consumers


of games, yet remain largely invisible in ownership, leadership and access to capital within the industry itself. Despite games being one of the world’s


fastest-growing creative sectors, there is currently no consistent industry- wide dataset tracking how funding and investment are distributed by gender. As a result, it remains difficult to assess who benefits from public and private investment, who receives funding, who scales, who is left behind, and whether current interventions are delivering equitable outcomes. These questions are becoming


increasingly urgent as the UK Government commits £30 million over the next three years through the Games Growth Package to support the next generation of games developers. The report identifies a clear ‘drop-off


curve’ across the industry pipeline: • Women make up around 50% of players • Women account for approximately 25–30% of the games industry workforce


• Around 22% of senior and lead roles in the UK are held by women


16 | MCV/DEVELOP May/June 2026


• Only around 16% of executive roles in major global games companies are held by women


• Representation at founder, ownership and C-suite level is often 10% or lower


THE SHARPEST DECLINE APPEARS AROUND ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND INVESTMENT. While the games industry itself does not collect transparent gender-based funding or investment data, wider UK and global investment analysis referenced in the report paints a concerning picture. According to data from the British


Business Bank, PitchBook and other major investment trackers: • All-female founder teams receive approximately 2% of UK equity investment


• Even among organisations actively working to improve outcomes, this rises only to around 5%


• Similar patterns are consistently seen across global venture capital and technology investment markets


There is currently no evidence suggesting the games industry performs differently from these wider investment trends – but because the sector does not consistently report or track gender investment data, the true scale of the disparity remains largely invisible. Without transparency around who


receives funding and investment: • Capital may be allocated inefficiently • Emerging talent and innovation can be overlooked


• New ideas and businesses struggle to scale • Growth potential across the industry is constrained


The report also argues that the absence of investment data is itself part of the problem. Our report calls for urgent industry-


wide action, including: • Transparent reporting of funding and investment by gender


• Standardised data collection across the games industry


• Greater accountability in how capital is distributed


• Independent monitoring and benchmarking of investment outcomes


As an organisation we are calling for greater long-term commitment from industry, investors, policymakers and public funding bodies to support scalable programmes that deliver measurable change across the sector. Ultimately, we can measure players.


We can partially measure workforce participation. But when we look at who receives investment, who scales businesses, and who gains access to funding & capital, visibility drops away almost entirely. This matters because innovation,


creativity and economic growth depend on the industry being able to access the full breadth of available talent. If opportunities and investment continue to flow through the same narrow pathways, the sector risks limiting its own future potential.


Women in Games from Players to Power and Capital is available now from Women in Games.


For a copy of the report contact hello@womeningames.org


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