TIGA: Independent Studios Choose Self-Publishing, Digital Distro

Hoping to quantify the breadth of its local industry as it lobbies for government support, UK game developer trade body TIGA is unveiling more results of a survey of its region's biz, finding that 64 percent of developers in the UK self-publish -- 96 percent are independent. The iPhone platform currently holds a majority among preferred platforms for self-publishing, TIGA finds, at 52 percent. 38 percent publish on PC, 36 percent publish on PlayStation Network, and 16 percent publish on Xbox Live Arcade. And these numbers may shift as more UK developers get on board with self-publishing -- among the 27 percent of developers that don't self-publish, 70 percent plan to go that route in the future. Many of that haven't yet gotten on board with self-publishing cite finances as the primary reason. 22 percent simply don't identify it as one of their core business activities, and 11 percent say they don't have the market knowledge to publish on their own . TIGA's research also revealed interesting results on the growing importance of online and digital games: on average, 62 percent of games developed in the UK take that format (as opposed to physical retail discs). But, says the trade body, there's an interesting gap to note between publisher-owned and independent studios: just one percent of publisher-owned studios choose to go digital, while it's a much more popular route for independents. 52 percent of independent studios make digital games, while the figure for those who self-publish is 72 percent, pointing to the notable avenues digital publishing offers independent developers who want to publish games on their own. "This report shows the scale of the self-publishing among independent developers in the UK," says TIGA CEO Richard Wilson. "The UK boasts one of the most talented and creative games development workforces in the world, and it is no surprise that UK developers are taking advantage of the new opportunities offered by self publishing. " TIGA yesterday unveiled research that pointed further to the presence independent studios have in the UK, noting that whether or not they self-publish, they tend to be only about a fifth of the staff size of those owned by publishers.