Games4EU, an anti-Brexit organization that advocates for the United Kingdom’s game industry, has published an open letter detailing the group’s concerns over the UK’s impending separation from the European Union and the negative effects it believes the split will have on the local game industry.
The open letter, readable in its entirety here, has been signed by 1,300 individuals and 127 companies with a number of notable devs and studios from the UK among the signees. It asks the government to consider putting the UK’s exit plan to a public vote with an option to remain in the UK, citing research from the organization’s white-paper and calling Brexit “a dire threat to UK interactive entertainment.”
“This is already causing serious uncertainty, raising costs and future red tape,” reads the letter. “Post-Brexit our products face the real risk of becoming more expensive, harder to access, delayed or in the worst case canceled. We fear UK interactive entertainment businesses being compelled to partially/fully relocate to the EU. We foresee greater problems to hiring talent (risking over time a UK brain drain), loss of important consumer rights and cultural diminishment. All when we should be growing our position as a British success story.”
Games4EU itself was founded earlier this year with the goal of supporting meaningful action to remain in the EU, become an activism and discussion platform for pro-EU members of the video game industry, demonstrate the harm it believes Brexit will bring to the industry, and contribute to the wider movement to stop or limit the damage of Brexit.