BETA | REGION FOCUS: YORKSHIRE
Warneford. “It could be because of there is a real community here, fostered in part by the work done by Game Republic.”
A NEW REPUBLIC It is this sense of community that separates Yorkshire from many other development hubs in the UK, which those situated in the region put down to the work of the aforementioned regional networking organisation Game Republic. Led by Jamie Sefton, the group faced near
closure last year after public funding ran dry due to government cuts, but was eventually saved by local studios and institutions who saw the advantages of keeping the organisation. Now performing its work as a privately funded entity, Game Republic promotes collaboration between developers through various events, whilst also bringing the companies to the attention of investors and the big console manufacturers. “It’s great for them because they get to
Four Door Lemon’s Vita AR game Table Football (top- left), and Dubit’s hip studio space (top-right). Above, top-to-bottom: Team 17’s Nick Clarkson, Paul Porter of Sumo Digital, and Matthew Warneford from Dubit
meet 20-to-30 companies in one go, and meet some amazing companies that can give them some great content,” enthuses Sefton. “And for our companies it’s fantastic because they get to meet the key holders for those digital platforms. Also it means the companies and the universities can network together so it means you get some brilliant collaborations going on simply because you’re at the same meetings. Bigger companies might outsource to other companieswithin the region when they need that additional help and it helps to grow the industry and keep the money within the network.” The organisation has since doubled its membership in the last year to a substantial 52, and Sumo Digital’s studio head Paul Porter says that Game Republic has been essential in growing a vibrant community, and is excited by the potential the collaboration brings to Yorkshire. “One of the benefits of the varied nature of studios in the region is that when we do come together there’s always a tremendous
46 | MAY 2012
buzz in the atmosphere and lots of cross- pollination of ideas,” explains Porter. “Sumo has been doing well in the last few
years and has a lot going on. Success can bring its own challenges and to meet those we sometimes collaborate with other studios in the area, which has helped to bring more work into the region.” But this reputation for collaboration has not just been built up thanks to the work of Game Republic, for it has come from what Barratt describes as set of friendly studios, willing to help other studios out so the entire region can be a success.
One of the benefits of the varied nature of studios in the region is that when we do come together there’s a tremendous buzz.
Paul Porter, Sumo Digital
“Being already familiar with what everyone else is working on and just being able to pick up the phone for a quick catch up means that collaboration is quick to setup and fairly risk free for companies large and small” he says. “Everyone tries to look out for other
developers in the area when they can and for Four Door Lemon we’ve enjoyed several collaborative projects in the past few years from providing a few days of consultancy to six-month projects providing all the programming on certain projects.” Team 17’s communications manager Nick
Clarkson is slightly more cautious of the excitement surrounding the sense of community however, saying the situation in the region is a matter of opinion and something that is not exclusive to Yorkshire. “Whether there’s a sense of community is open to debate,” he states. “There’s no doubt
that Yorkshire developers do have a community, but it’s not exclusive. Collaboration at a local level makes life easy but the best solution may be further afield.”
MOVING WITH THE TIMES As well as a focus on working together, developers in the county also seem to have shifted concentrations on games development away from home console, and towards handhelds and new platforms such as mobile and digital. Although unlikely a deliberately collective move, the region highlights an industry shift away from traditional platforms, and offers a glimpse into what future development hubs may look like. Sumo Digital, Double Eleven, Revolution
Software and Team 17 have all developed for digital and handheld releases, and Sefton says this has likely happened as companies are able to control their own futures whilst having the potential to make more money if they go it alone. He says that when he joined Game
Republic in 2008, the business model focused on work for hire, but believes it has changed enormously in the short time since then, with the App Store a hugely important new shift in the industry. “Revolution Software’s Charles Cecil now makes more money from a £3 game than he does from something that was released from retail at £30,” he explains. “And he gets it every month, rather than having to wait a couple of years and maybe get some money from a publisher. “The fact is that our companies are now
masters of their own destiny, they can release stuff and get 70 per cent of the profits at once that they can then reinvest in new projects. “It’s been an amazing transformation. It’s
kind of back to the golden era when they could publish themselves and also get the money themselves.” Stewart Gilray, CEO of Just Add Water,
believes that because the region is home to many independent developers, the costs
DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76