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Polygon reports that, at a panel at the 2017 Games for Change Festival, representatives from EA and Take Two made comments expressing that the policies of the Trump administration are harming the US games industry, rather than helping it.
Craig Hagen, global head of government affairs at Electronic Arts, said that the industry is facing ‘a constant shortage of qualified, high-skilled labour’. The current US Administration made immigration a key part of its campaign during the election, and has just triggered a review of the H-1B visa. The H-1B is a science and technology visa, and is the one that games companies use to bring skilled foreign workers to the US to work in games development.
Alan Lewis, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for Take-Two, characterised immigration as ‘a significant issue for companies like ours and the industry at large’, as immigrants are understandably now hesitant to come to or stay in America to work.
Concerns were also expressed about cuts to education affecting STEM subjects, and business and infrastructure issues — for example, the lack of broadband coverage across the country, particularly in rural counties, when games are increasingly moving towards digital sales
Tough times look to be ahead for the UK games industry too, with potential for a brain drain triggered by Brexit. Thank God for Canada and Japan.
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