{"id":427714,"date":"2025-09-16T01:53:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/427714\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T01:53:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T01:53:42","slug":"nintendo-chief-in-edinburgh-as-scotland-hosts-global-video-games-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/427714\/","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo chief in Edinburgh as Scotland hosts global video games conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

FIRST Minister John Swinney has welcomed delegates to Edinburgh for the annual DICE Europe<\/a> summit of leaders in the video gaming industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A total of 150 industry leaders will flock to Edinburgh over the next few days to host \u201ckey\u201d talks and networking events around video games and the future of the industry, with a focus on Scotland\u2019s developing role<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Swinney is said to have personally invited Nintendo managing executive Satoru Shibata, who is a keynote speaker at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Swinney hopes the event can help Scotland to nourish the video game sector, which has come to represent a key part of the country\u2019s economy in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The headquarters of 4J Studios in Dundee (C) Google<\/p>\n

With 130 video game companies now having bases in Scotland, with staff numbers doubling from just over 1,000 in 2015 to more than 2,100 today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most notably, Edinburgh serves as the base for Rockstar North, a British video game developer and subsidiary of Rockstar Games notable for the development of Grand Theft Auto V \u2013 the second best-selling video game of all time and most profitable entertainment product ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rockstar North is currently working on the highly ambitious GTA 6, with is slated for release in May next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, it was reported by The Herald that Rockstar North claimed \u00a370m in tax relief while handing out \u00a3132m in dividends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Curiously, however, Nintendo executive Shibata will not be joined as a speaker by anyone from Rockstar North.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, speakers and roundtable discussion leaders include Scottish University lecturers, Chris van der Kuyl, Charman of the award-winning Dundee-based video game developer, 4J Studios, and executives and developers from across the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes will address an opening reception at Edinburgh Castle at 7pm tomorrow, where delegates will be treated to a performance by Scottish classical violinist Nicola Benedetti.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Swinney said: \u201cScotland\u2019s gaming industry is experiencing extraordinary growth that demonstrates our nation\u2019s capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transformation from 15 companies to 130 in just over a decade shows how quickly Scottish talent can compete on the global stage and create real economic value for our communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese companies are not just creating games played by millions worldwide \u2013 they are creating skilled jobs, attracting international investment, and positioning Scotland as a global hub for digital innovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis growth directly supports our mission to raise living standards in every part of Scotland and cement our reputation as a centre of creative excellence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Delegates will also be offered the opportunity for a walking tour of Edinburgh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman, 4J Studios, developers of Minecraft Console Edition, who helped bring DICE to Scotland, said: \u201cIt\u2019s monumental so many of the industry\u2019s top figures are gathering in Scotland.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a couple of challenging years worldwide, confidence and growth prospects have returned to the sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the forthcoming release of GTA 6, which is set to reshape the video game landscape, and our own new game Reforj alongside all the other incredible output from studios across the country, Scotland is well placed to lead the way and have an outsized impact on the global stage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scottish and UK government figures will be watching proceeding at the summit closely, as Scotland hopes to position itself as a global leader in high-tech video game development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government is working with leaders in the industry to prepare a National Action Plan to stimulate growth and job creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FIRST Minister John Swinney has welcomed delegates to Edinburgh for the annual DICE Europe summit of leaders in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[121317,748,1102,4884,7852,128,2403,145920,712,16,15,145921,1644],"class_list":{"0":"post-427714","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-4j-studios","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-edinburgh","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-john-swinney","13":"tag-nintendo","14":"tag-rockstar-games","15":"tag-rockstar-north","16":"tag-scotland","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-video-game-sscotland","20":"tag-video-games"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115211482376344823","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}