draw from Rockstar Leeds (as do those of Red Kite). “I think the industry has changed to support that,”
adds Iwaniszak. “We’re more mature and there isn’t always the bad blood of employees leaving, setting up and being successful.” The increased need for external partnerships means that studios are far more interconnected. “It’s a nice thing to know that some people could leave Red Kite, create a start-up, and might even work with us as an external partner. Previously it would have been, ‘Well, they’re dead to us now.’”
“The tech sector in Leeds is massive. There is now a really strong startup culture and some pretty decent
sized companies with a lot of money.”
Simon Barratt, CEO of Cooperative Innovations
CRITICAL MASS Fundamentally, Nigel Little believes, “It’s about trying to create some sort of critical mass in the region” in order to counter external threats that, in the past, might have come from the US and Japan. “Now you’ve got big, rich, oil-producing nations investing heavily in games.” If Yorkshire is going to remain competitive, he says “You’ve got to bring the universities along, make sure we’ve got skilled people in the area and keep working together where we can to keep the momentum going. Because if we don’t, then we’re gonna get overrun.” Essential to that, adds Simon Iwaniszak, is working
on the best games and the coolest tech. “Because that’s ultimately what’s attracting people to come and work here. If we don’t maintain the quality of projects, then people are gonna go look elsewhere. It’s not necessarily the name of the company as such, there are some great companies in Yorkshire, but if people can see the games that are being made here then that’s pretty critical.” “That’s a big part of my job,” adds Sefton. “I do lots
of talks at universities and colleges and one of the first things I start with is all the amazing games from the region. Often the students doing the courses don’t realise what they have on their doorstep. I’ve done family events as well, because, obviously, parents have a big influence on kids. It’s about saying, ‘Look, your child can have a
really good career in games right here in the region.’ It’s getting that across.”
CHUFFIN’ TRAINS We’ve talked a lot about the advantages of being in Yorkshire – particularly the benefits that Game Republic seems to be able to bring to bear in the region, but what about the challenges beyond the persistent skills shortage that are more specific to the area? What are the immediate issues that perhaps hold Yorkshire back as one of the UK’s preeminent games hubs? “Northern Rail,” says Simon Barratt without
hesitation, pointing out that the distance from Manchester to Leeds is as long as London’s Central Line, and takes just as long to travel, but whereas there are 49 stops on one, the train to Leeds has just three. “How does that even happen?” Sefton adds that
it takes just as long to get to Liverpool by train, 65 miles away, as it does to London, almost 200 miles away. When it comes to capital cities, Leeds appears better connected to Dublin than it is to any in the UK - a country, it’s quickly pointed out, that has better
July 2023 MCV/DEVELOP | 33
Full disclosure: There was cake
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