The total expected budget of games that have received interim certification for UK games tax relief for the year ending March 2018 has skyrocketed past £1 billion for the first time.

A total of 49 games were given final certification during the quarter, which is down from 60 in Q1 2017. It’s still up from the 35 certified games in Q1 2016, however.

The figure spent on those titles in the UK and EEA was almost at the same level though at £40.1 million, slightly down from the £41.1 million the year prior. The total budget fell from £59 million in Q1 2017 to £44 million in the last quarter.

The number of games receiving interim certification rose from 52 in Q1 2017 to 54 in Q1 2018, the highest ever, with an expected budget of £164 million, almost four times larger than in Q1 2017.

This was said to be mainly due to one title’s development supported by a “very large budget” and three other games with budgets over £10 million.

The full story can be read over on PocketGamer.biz 

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