New tour helps British devs like Tomb Raider’s studio make the most of their new tax breaks

Many game developers have a firm grasp on complex mathematics, but I bet fewer fully understand their taxes.

That’s where The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) comes in. The United Kingdom-based organization announced today that it will begin touring that country in an effort to educate studios about the newly approved Games Tax Relief (GTR) benefits, as first spotted by GamesIndustry International. The group says that GTR will provide $316 million in new investment in the U.K. industry, and it wants to help the people making games get the most relief possible. The TIGA events will start in May in Oxford, England, and all of them are free for developers to attend.

With game development expanding around the world as it gets easier to release software for mobile, PC, and consoles, it’s clear that the U.K. and the rest of Europe wants to keep up with the U.S. and Asia. These tax breaks and TIGA’s efforts are evidence of that.

“TIGA is focused on helping game developers and digital publishers succeed,” TIGA chief executive officer Dr. Richard Wilson said in a statement. “So we are organizing the TIGA GTR Tour to help developers understand how tax relief can unleash the creative and financial potential of their studios and drive innovation and experimentation in their business.”

A number of indie developers and major publishers work out of the U.K. That includes Tomb Raider publisher Eidos Interactive and Lego game maker Traveler’s Tales.

The Games Tax Relief went into effect in March after a seven-year campaign by TIGA to get the benefits passed. In 2013, the European Commission (the European Union’s governing body) blocked GTR in an effort to investigate whether it is necessary. The EU lifted its ban last month.

In addition to Oxford, TIGA will travel to Dundee, Nottingham, Bath, Cardiff, Bournemouth, Lemaington Spa, and Edinburgh. The organization encourages developers to bring their questions, since it will have experts on hand to help.

“We want as many game developers and digital publishers to benefit from GTR [as possible, so we are bringing together a range of expert speakers to a range of different locations across the UK,” said Wilson.