Every pioneering video-game heroine needs a good man behind her. Ian Livingstone is the man behind the industry's leading gun-toting, whip cracking adventuress Lara Croft.

The creative director of Eidos, the games publisher owned by SCi, started his career by co-founding Games Workshop, the retailer, in 1975 with his flatmate Steve Jackson. Two years later they launched the magazine White Dwarf and in 1981 the pair devised the hugely successful Fighting Fantasy series of books, which went on to sell more than 15 million copies. Last year he was awarded the Order of the British Empire, for "services to the computer games industry".

What are your thoughts on the current state of the UK video games industry?

The UK continues to be a world leader in games creation. It is no surprise that major franchises such as Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto were created in the UK.

It is perhaps a shame, however, that foreign investors see greater value in our development studios than we do ourselves.

Most of the best UK studios have lost their independence and have sold out to foreign companies, many in the last twelve months, with the future for the UK being a work-for-hire industry with no intellectual property ownership.

An additional concern is that the UK has slipped from third to fourth in the world rankings in terms of the number of games actually developed here. Canada is now third, thanks in the main to financial incentives offered by its government. In fact Eidos has recently set up its own studio in Montreal to develop the next instalment of Deus Ex.

How is game design shifting in the wake of Nintendo’s Wii, a video games console designed for “people who don’t like video games”?

Gaming has moved from a niche market to mainstream entertainment.

Thanks to Nintendo and PC gaming portals a new audience is now playing. Young and old, male and female are enjoying the experience, which is now having an impact on society as games become as important as music and film both culturally and economically.

These new customers require instant usability and playability. Games for this new audience are more of a fun experience than a mental challenge, to be enjoyed together with friends and family rather than won as a solo experience.

Any remarks on the current console cycle? How do you expect the PS3 to perform in long run? Will the Wii last the course?

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