Top 10 tips for game studios on performance, cash and funding
We recently hosted a webinar for the members of Ukie on performance, cash and funding for game studios. Here, Rob Husband, Rob Kersse and Rodrigo Cerqueira outlined practical strategies to strengthen business performance and secure the right funding at each stage of growth. The discussion included how to build an adaptable business plan, identify key operational and financial pressure points, and understand what investors look for when assessing both early‑stage and scaling studios.
Top 10 tips from the session
1. Cash flow is the core risk, not profitability
Even a profitable project will run out of money mid‑development if cash flow isn’t actively managed.
2. Treat your cash flow forecast as a live management tool
A cash flow forecast is the most important tool for developers. It should be forward‑looking, updated regularly and used to guide real decisions – not just produced for investors.
3. Build your plan around milestones and timing
Start by mapping milestones, layer in monthly costs, and then you can map funding against the same timeline. This highlights funding gaps early and avoids relying on cash that arrives too late.
4. Plan conservatively and include contingency
Forecasts are often overly optimistic; this is a management tool not a selling one. Build in cost buffers and assume delays to funding so that you can plan for worst‑case timing scenarios.
5. Update forecasts frequently – they are not a static tool
Cash flow should be a rolling model and updated frequently whenever circumstances change.
6. Separate creative leadership from business discipline
Founders often struggle balancing creative work with running the business. Recognising this tension early, put structure and data in place, and use your advisers to reduce pressure and improve decision‑making.
7. Know your key performance indicators at every stage
Early‑stage studios should focus on cash runway (months of cash left) and burn rate (cost per month). More established studios should track revenue per head, ARPU vs live ops costs, EBITDA and milestone slippage.
8. Understand that cash ≠ profit
Forecasting an overall profit does not mean you will have cash during development, consider the timing differences (e.g. VAT refunds, tax credits, milestone payments) that are a common cause of studios becoming stuck mid-development.
9. Choose funding that supports long‑term strategy
Consider all sources of funding which can include investors, EIS/VCT structures, debt, grants and government tax relief. It is important to think of the long-term impacts of accepting finance, which can affect profitability, future investor rounds, governance and strategic flexibility.
10. Use advisers and peers to stay proactive
Studios perform better when they actively use advisers (financial, legal, HR) and learn from peer networks, accelerators and incubators. This helps spot issues early and avoids costly reactive decisions.
How we can help
If any of these top tips highlight an area you’d like to improve, or if you’d like to discuss another business issue, please get in touch with a member of our video games team.
