Ian Livingstone has commented on the state of the UK games industry, suggesting that the county's lengthy heritage in the field is being destroyed by foreign companies poaching staff, and there's a lack of upcoming talent to fill the gap.
In an interview with Gamereactor published today, the Life President of Eidos listed the high costs of development and lack of financing swaying designers to move abroad.
"The problem with the UK, and not just with videogames, but other creative industries, is they're great in creating intellectual property but not in hanging onto them.
"You've got high costs in the country, and secondly you haven't got the right skills anymore. You've got huge demand for artists and animators - those with the right skills for the studios and they're simply not there. And those that we have got are being tempted to move to Canada. You talk to recruiters and they say one in four of the best people are shifting to Canada. And I want a situation were people believe the UK to be the best place to produce games. Because we are very good at making games. Its just that a lot of our game companies have been bought by foreign companies and given our heritage, its just madness."
Of finance, Livingstone commented on the trouble games companies had convincing investors over their product. "So many developers find it hard to get access to funds, be it state funds or banks. Its very difficult for investors and innovators to see eye-to-eye about videogames. It's a very dynamic and fast-moving industry so its easier to say no to game companies than take the risks and invest."
Read the full, unabridged interview here.