NORTH WEST?
TIME TO HIT THE
The skies may be grey and the rain incessant, but Manchester, Liverpool and the surrounding areas are considered hot locations for game development. Richie Shoemaker braves the current heatwave to talk to those that have been settled in the region for a while
sk anyone what the hottest place is to be making games in the UK and the usual subjects will be trotted out: Guildford, Brighton, Cambridge, Dundee, Leamington Spa, Newcastle… but for those to whom games have been an obsession for 30 years or more, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of Manchester and Liverpool when it comes to the UK’s global impact. It was in no small part thanks to publishers in the North West that UK game development during the 1980s was transformed into something approaching a global business by the end of the decade, through the efforts – respectively good, bad and patently- not-ugly – of Ocean, Imagine and Psygnosis. That their DNA persists to this day is testament to the talent and entrepreneurial spirit that the north west has been steeped in since the industrial revolution. “The North West is a vital part of this country’s creative output, both historically and contemporarily,” says Amiqus’ Liz Prince, a proud native and advocate of the region. “Clearly music and television have been core components of what is a culturally rich heritage, but games have played a major role too, with trailblazers like Ocean, Gremlin and Psygnosis spawning the talent that ensures the region is a vibrant cluster for our industry to this day.”
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While it may have been the case a few years ago that Liverpool and Manchester had fallen behind the aforementioned towns and cities as gamedev hotspots, the truth today is that the northwest is in the ascendency. According to a study published last November, Manchester has become the UK’s “tech start-up capital,” with more new tech
businesses appearing in the city since January 2020 than Cambridge, Guildford and Oxford combined. As well as the BBC becoming more invested in the region, in recent years Google, Microsoft and Sony have set down roots, the latter acquiring Liverpool’s Firesprite last year – allowing the studio to reclaim it’s increasingly distant Psygnosis heritage. When Cloud Imperium Games opens its new studio in Manchster’s Media City later in this year, the region will be well on the way to hosting one of the UK’s largest studios as it scales up efforts on one of the world’s most keenly-watched games. In line with increased investment in the region, Liz Prince has seen a
growing demand for talent in the North West that’s on a par with the other major hubs in the UK. “Manchester and Liverpool are really attractive to studios and employees alike, both with a truly creative vibe alongside lower overheads, both in terms of office space and cost of living. Plus, the presence of other creative industries means there’s a huge pool of talent to tap into, especially when it comes to transferable skills such as production and marketing. “Crucially, the regional infrastructure is also there to sustain future investment and growth too, particularly in light of Brexit’s impact on the employment market – more than seven million people live within an hour of Manchester alone and there are some 20,000+ students involved in creative and digital courses across its universities. It’s not just a home for established professionals – the next generation is coming through too and I fully expect games-oriented businesses to benefit from that.”
March 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 53
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