With the Coronavirus pandemic, the Brexit has been pushed aside but did not disappear. The UK left the European Union on the 31st of January and has entered an 11-month transition period. 30th of June is the deadline for extending the transition period.
Very little has changed so far, but this will have far-reaching implications for everyone in the UK.
In the past few months, we have published a series of Brexit tips we thought people will find useful. This post is a collection of those related to the video games industry.
Having EU Citizens in Your Team
You may already have EU citizens working for you. 19% of the workers in the UK are from the EU/EEA.
They need support for making sure you can continue to employ them.
You’ll be required to check their legal status.
Help them to apply for settled status now.
Hiring EU Citizens
You may want to hire EU citizens in the future. So far hiring EU citizens was simple thanks to freedom of movement.
It will change.
The UK is planning to introduce a points-based immigration system. Also, you may need to apply to be added to the government’s licensed sponsors list.
Selling Within the EU
You may be self-publishing and want to sell to customers in the EU.
Depending on the final Brexit agreement selling directly to customers in the EU may come with changes to how you pay VAT after each sale.
Trade Shows & Conferences
You may want to attend trade shows and conferences in the EU.
Depending on the agreement shipping equipment to trade shows may be trickier than it is now. At least it is likely to come with a lot more paperwork. It may also come with a financial overhead also.
EU Customer’s Data
Our understanding is, that the current plan is that the UK plans to stay GDPR compliant. Should the legislation change you may need to take extra measures to transfer, access and process personal data of EU citizens. If you run a game that relies on user accounts, payments, etc…
You’ll need to keep an eye out for this one.
More info on the ICO website https://ico.org.uk/
Brexit is not in the spotlight recently because of Covid-19 but it didn’t magically disappear. Time is ticking, and the deadline is getting closer. It is our responsibility to prepare as much as we can.
If you have any insights about Brexit, something we left out, please let us know in the comments!
