Activision Blizzard, the biggest games publisher in the world, has threatened to quit the UK due to the Coalition Government’s U-Turn on Games Tax Relief.
The US company employs around 600 developers and other staff at its British satellite office in Slough, Berkshire.
Referring to the Government’s decision to scrap Games Tax Relief, Bobby Kotick, Activision’s chief executive said: “I think it was a terrible mistake. There are so many other places that are encouraging the video games industry.”
Kotick said that the UK is full of talented developers, and that the relief is much needed. Countries such as China and Singapore, as well as individual US states, are offering tax incentives to lure video game developers and publishers such as Activision, the majority of whose staff are employed in the US.
The warning came on the heels of Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops title becoming the biggest selling video game of 2010 as it raced past the US$1bn mark.
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