The UK’s creative industries are internationally recognised for their innovation and excellence, generating more than £124 billion in Gross Value Added for the UK economy. They are a key part of the UK’s new Industrial Strategy. Immersive Entertainment is a growth area within this sector and in The Immersive Revolution we undertook a deep dive into the UK’s role as a pioneer in the development of the second generation of immersive experience companies. We explored the origin story of the UK immersive sector and the cross-fertilisation between some of the early pioneers such as Secret Cinema, Punchdrunk and Shunt as well as their utilisation of talent from across the spectrum of the creative industries.

The success of a number of these trailblazers contributed to a cluster of activity in London and the start of some major infrastructure investments as immersive entertainment reached mainstream consumers (which has continued). We identified a number of factors that had supported this growth such as collaboration within the sector, access to connected industries such as creative technology and public and private investment plus support mechanisms such as Storyfutures and the Audience of the Future program. Networks such as REMIX (2012) helped join the dots in a disparate sector and champion the early pioneers later as the sector grew dedicated sector specific players appeared such as the Immersive Experience Network and the WXO (World Experience Organisation) operating at national and international level. The creative industries are one of the eight key sectors in the UK’s Industrial Strategy. The UK is the third largest creative services exporter in the world, as well as being ranked third globally by the World Intellectual Property Organisation for creative outputs. Strengths in Advertising and marketing, Film and TV, Music, performing and visual arts and Video games all of which play a role in immersive experiences.

The utilisation of immersive technologies was also an important component both in the experiences as well as for R&D and new innovation. This is helped by the fact that UK is also the third country in the world and the first in Europe to have a tech ecosystem valued at nearly £1tn with 185 unicorns created: there is a wealth of talent and R&D that can cross-fertilise with the immersive entertainment sector. Digital and Technologies are another of the eight key sectors in the UK’s Industrial Strategy which includes £380 million of sector investment and funding for the creative industries.

• Dig Deeper – REMIX Talk – Fabien Riggall, Founder, Secret Cinema

While not immersive specific there have been several UK policy measures to support the immersive entertainment sector. For example, the new CoSTAR Network provides UK companies with access to today’s cutting-edge technologies and research expertise to power the stories of tomorrow.

The CoSTAR Network delivers programmes designed to lower barriers to research and development and to the adoption of new and emerging technologies for small and medium-sized businesses, which make up the majority of the UK’s creative industries. These programmes are delivered through a network of specialised hubs located across the UK:

Live Lab is based at Production Park in Wakefield and focuses on researching and developing the future of live performance.

Realtime Lab, located at Water’s Edge in Dundee, has strong connections to the UK games sector and specialises in real-time and interactive technologies.

Screen Lab is based in Belfast as part of the Studio Ulster advanced production complex, supporting innovation in screen and virtual production.

Foresight Lab, led by Goldsmiths, University of London, operates as a nationwide research hub, identifying and analysing emerging trends across the creative industries.

The National Lab will open a state-of-the-art facility at Pinewood Studios in 2026 and will coordinate collaboration and shared opportunities across the wider CoSTAR Network.

The CoSTAR Network represents the largest-ever investment in creative industries research and development, supported by a £75.6 million grant from the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and delivered by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Through world-leading facilities, advanced technologies and applied research, CoSTAR will establish the UK’s first national R&D infrastructure dedicated to the creative industries, helping to drive growth across the sector.

• Dig Deeper – REMIX Talk – Professor Will Saunders MBE, Chief Creative Officer, CoSTAR & StoryFutures

Immersive Arts and other support programs

The UK’s immersive tech programme is also anchored by sector specific initiatives to upskill and support innovation in areas such as the cultural sector which is a pool of potential talent in areas such as content creation and format development (as well as supporting the sustainability of the arts by exploring new business models and growing audiences through technology adoption). Building on the legacy of other previous programs, Immersive Arts is a national initiative funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the UK’s four national arts councils. It has invested £6 million to support artists, studios and producers working across immersive, interactive and experiential formats. The programme combines R&D funding, commissioning and business support, and is closely aligned with the wider CoSTAR Network (which provides large-scale facilities, technical expertise and industry partnerships). Together, these initiatives connect cultural organisations with technology partners, researchers and commercial platforms, designed to develop and position the UK as a global leader in immersive art, storytelling and creative technology.

• Dig Deeper – REMIX Talk – Verity McIntosh, Director & Principal Investigator, Immersive Arts

Outside of CoSTAR there are other research and development facilities being set up such as the Creative Experience Lab London (CELL), a major collaborative initiative from UCL and Loughborough University London to explore the convergence of technology, creativity and live experiences.

In January 2026, Arts Council England was the first funder globally to add Digital Arts as an official, recognised discipline. It sits alongside, and has the same status, as existing disciplines: Combined Arts, Dance, Literature, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Libraries, Museums. Included within ‘Digital Arts’ are the following sub-sectors: Digital Storytelling, Socially Engaged Digital Creative Practice, Digital Installations & Immersive Experiences, Interactive & Game-Based Art, Virtual Production & Real-Time Engines, AI & Generative Systems, Data-Driven & Computational Art, Networked & Online Art, Digital Craft & Fabrication and Web3 & Decentralised Technologies.

Compare this to other countries where there is little or no dedicated public funding for the immersive or experience economy sector, often more conventional arts funding models are not geared to immersive forms.