Scotland’s thriving gaming sector levels up and attracts leading companies to Games Day Dundee

The additional Dundee Games Day event is a first for the city with the international event a first for Scotland and was organised by the gaming industry in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government.

Games Day at the Big Real, Water’s Edge Dundee involves demonstrations, speakers, discussions and networking opportunities for the gaming community to meet senior D.I.C.E. delegates from across the globe.

The day concludes with an evening reception at V&A Dundee that will be attended by Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive Adrian Gillespie who said: “The Games Day event is an exciting moment for the games industry in Dundee and Scotland.

“We worked with Scottish Government and Scotland’s industry leaders to capitalise on the international DICE. conference coming to Edinburgh to create an opportunity for delegates to immerse themselves in the full landscape of gaming in Scotland.

“Both events will showcase the talent and innovation of Scottish developers, provide an opportunity to connect them with global companies and highlight the significant economic impact and global reach of our games industry.

“Events like these are crucial in fostering collaboration, attracting investment, and positioning Scotland as a leading hub for game development on the world stage.”

Chairman of 4J Studios Chris van der Kuyl whose firm is behind Minecraft’s Console Edition and new game Reforj helped to bring D.I.C.E. to Scotland and said: “DICE Europe in Edinburgh and Dundee is a major moment of international recognition for our home-grown industry and we’ve seen around 200 gaming industry leaders come to Scotland this week.

“It’s fantastic”, added van der Kuyl, “that alongside Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government we have been able to secure an additional event in Dundee that underpins the city’s significant contribution to the video games sector.  It’s vital that the sector and government use this as a catalyst for further cooperation and collaboration, creating the best possible conditions for the many brilliant individuals and studios we have within the sector in Scotland.”

Recent Scottish Government figures show the number of companies operating in the gaming sector rose significantly over the last ten years from 15 in 2010 to around 130 firms in 2024.

The industry turnover is estimated at £340million annually and staff numbers have doubled from 1,045 to 2,125 since 2015.

The Scottish Government also hosted delegates of D.I.C.E. to a special event at Edinburgh Castle earlier this week (16 September) and welcomed the announcement of the establishment of Interactive Entertainment Scotland (IES) a new body that will serve as the primary voice for Scottish games companies.

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “The focus of the gaming industry has been fully trained on Scotland thanks to the DICE. Europe conference coming here for the first time. And it is fitting they chose to come here, given Scotland and Dundee’s unique position within the industry.

“Since Abertay University launched its first gaming related course in 1997, the city’s involvement in gaming has gone from strength-to-strength.  Dundee is now the cradle of creativity for an exciting, vibrant and important industry which is growing Scotland’s economy.”