Six Studios Honored at UK's Best Places to Work Awards Ceremony
The UK gaming industry recognized 25 companies across small, mid-sized, and large categories at the Best Places to Work Awards 2026, held at London's Royal Institution on October 1st, with special recognition given to Dink, Hangar 13, Jagex, NaturalMotion Games, Rare, and Snap Finger Click. The awards were determined by employee surveys accounting for 80 percent of scores and company evaluations making up the remaining 20 percent, following an HR Summit that brought together representatives from 41 organizations. The ceremony highlighted studios that excel in staff support and workplace culture within the video game sector.
The UK gaming sector assembled representatives from diverse studio sizes and related organizations at an HR Summit preceding the awards ceremony, creating a dedicated forum for discussing workplace practices across the industry. The evaluation methodology balanced employee perspectives heavily—accounting for four-fifths of the final scoring—with organizational self-assessments comprising the remainder, ensuring worker experiences remained central to recognition criteria.
Several studios earned recognition across multiple award categories, suggesting comprehensive excellence in workplace practices beyond single dimensions. Jagex and NaturalMotion Games appeared in multiple special award categories, while Snap Finger Click and Rare demonstrated strength in both primary and categorical honors, indicating these organizations have embedded supportive practices across environmental, diversity, and educational initiatives.
These awards may influence hiring decisions and workplace standards across the UK gaming industry by publicly validating studios with strong employee support systems. Recognition could pressure other companies to evaluate and improve their own workplace cultures to remain competitive for talent. The emphasis on employee survey data may signal to the broader sector that worker satisfaction and retention warrant strategic investment, potentially affecting how studios allocate resources and structure HR programs going forward.