Develop has reported that at the Annual General Meeting on the 26 September for UK games industry trade body UKIE, chairman Andy Payne proposed a merger with similar group TIGA. Both of these groups are responsible for keeping up the fight for tax breaks for the UK games industry.

At the meeting, Payne stated he was “extending a hand” to TIGA CEO Richard Wilson, and urges him to explore the possibility of a shared future for the two groups. The ball is in TIGA’s court as UKIE await a reply.

This would be good news for the UK games industry. Calls for the two groups to merge have been coming for years, as two groups means a fight over members and power. One unified group would mean a much better organisation for workers in the industry. As Payne put it “half our voice, half our power“, as developers have to currently pick one or the other.

What do you think? Do you believe a merger of UKIE and TIGA is in the industries best interests? Let us know in the comments.