it really put the spotlight on the region.” It felt like things were clicking into place: “Really from that moment Game Republic was up and running and we just carried on that momentum. We did some really cool stuff in that first couple of years.”
SHARE PACKAGE While it must be tempting to want to act as a kind of
gatekeeping organisation for a region like Yorkshire; to be the one that jealousy guards their external contacts and puts on a few events to bring in influential figures from outside, Sefton appears to take his networking role very seriously; not simply to enable social interaction and develop relationships, but to encourage and maintain a Yorkshire-wide support structure, a full- spectrum exchange of resources, if you will. “We share contacts and even equipment,” says Sefton,
recalling when, before his time, Game Republic bought a number of PS2 dev kits to share among its members. “In the early days companies that were on downtime would also lend their stuff to other companies who had a project to finish. Things like that are the reason why Game Republic exists, because of the games companies themselves. They set it up to be a louder voice and to access funding and just basically share information and share contacts ... and because people are so generous and friendly in the region, it really works. That’s the difference, I think, [versus] other parts of the UK. I’m not saying that other parts of the UK don’t share, but it’s just in our DNA.” Normally we’d take issue with such sweeping regional
stereotypes, but it isn’t simply the case that being a Yorkshire native qualifies Sefton to make them, it’s that he himself has benefitted from the exact same willingness to pull together.
LOWS AND HIGHS In 2011, Screen Yorkshire announced it would no longer be funding Game Republic due to public funding cuts, which meant Sefton was going to be out of a job. Contemplating a return to game journalism,
38 | MCV/DEVELOP April/May 2023
he was understandably at something of a low point. Once again his wife, Jackie Mulligan – now business partner in Game Republic – saved the day, suggesting that he take Game Republic over. It would mean going to the membership and asking if they’d be willing to keep paying their fees directly to the acquired company rather than Screen Yorkshire as they had been doing. Sefton found that not only did they, some even suggested he raise the subscription fees. He was, he was told, doing too much for too little. “Which is just ridiculous,” says Sefton, still incredulous a decade later. “I mean, where does that ever happen in other industries, where they say they’re not paying enough! It was that level of support that was so amazing.” With renewed confidence (and income), Sefton brought
Yorkshire’s colleges and universities into the Game Republic fold, so that he could broaden support to education and skills as well as game development. It’s an
“It’s those moments that just make it all worthwhile. That’s what makes it such an absolute pleasure to run Game Republic.”
aspect of his work he is particularly proud of, especially the annual Student Showcase, which has become increasingly popular with each passing year. “We’ve looked back on previous winners and there
are hundreds and hundreds that are now in the games industry, working all over the world,” says Sefton, admitting that until this year, he hadn’t taken stock of all that had been achieved. “I had a lad come up to me the other day at the Yorkshire Gaines festival and he’d been to all our events and is now working at Double Eleven in the northeast. He just came in – it was lovely – and just said ‘Thank you for helping me. I wouldn’t have gotten into Double Eleven without your help.’ ... and, you know, it’s those moments that just make it all worthwhile. That’s what makes it such an absolute pleasure to run Game Republic. People in the industry have, since joining, become friends of mine. I’ve been to their weddings. I’ve been to their parties and celebrations. I think that’s the difference. This is part of my life as well as my job. It’s my passion.” Being synonymous with Game Republic, Sefton is uneasy with the idea of it being held up as a model for other regional games industry networks if the
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