
In January 2020 Brexit has been made officiali.e. the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The practice, launched in 2016 after the referendum that allowed citizens to choose whether to remain within the EU system or not, immediately led to a series of problems related to imports and exports, as well as making it more problematic the entry of those who are now to all intents and purposes non-EU citizens. The latter is a problem that is also affecting the British video game industry.
As reported by the BBC, it is increasingly difficult to find talent in the UK to suit the shortage of staff for some senior roles. “Brexit has had a limited impact on distribution, but a much larger one on recruitment, with companies unable to find talented people in the UK. As an industry, we should do more to be able to retain staff, with better salaries,” explained Colin Macdonald, director of the Games Jobs Live platform.
This is a situation that in England they know very well. Indeed, just a few months before the implementation of Brexit, some French development teams had already invited colleagues to move to Paris and surrounding area, especially all those who were not born in the UK and needed a permit to continue working. Negative effects of a country that overnight found itself outside a community system after having spent a good part of its modern existence there.
In the video game industry it is very common for several developers, artists and designers to decide to move from one development team to another. However, the immigration rules of different countries affect the process of selecting and hiring staff, and in the case of highly skilled jobs, such as senior positions, it is perfectly normal that countries with stricter immigration rules may find themselves facing front to real personnel emergencies.
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