Notable Dates in UK Games Industry History

1980s

1980

1981

• 5th March - The ZX81, Sinclair Research's pioneering British home computer, was released. (Wikipedia)

1982

1983

• 1st August - Manic Miner, developed by Matthew Smith, was released by Bug-Byte for the ZX Spectrum. (Wikipedia)

1984

• 20th September - Elite, the space trading game written and developed by David Braben and Ian Bell, is published by Acornsoft for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers. (Wikipedia)

1985

1986

• October - Codemasters, one of the oldest active British game studios, founded by brothers Richard and David Darling. (Wikipedia

1987

1988

1989

• 6th September - Ukie, then known as ELSPA, is founded - the first trade association for the video games industry anywhere in the world. (Ukie)

1990s

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000s

2000

2001

• 8th March - The official launch of TIGA, The Independent Games Developers Assocation for the UK (Eurogamer)

• 22nd October - Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto III. (Wikipedia)

2002

• 29th Oct 2002 - Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. (Wikipedia)

2003

2004

• February - The first British Academy Games Awards takes place. (BAFTA)

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

• 2009 was when game profits in UK exceeded those from film for the first time (source?)

2010s

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

• 30th January - The Chancellor, George Osborne, officially launches the video games tax relief (VGTR). (BFI)

• 1st April - The Uk's video games tax relief officially comes into effect (HMRC).

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019