and creative businesses in the northwest region as a whole. Now, more than ever, we’re seeing unambiguous skill cross-over between games and the TV & film industry. You only have to look at the way Unreal is being used on productions like The Mandalorian to understand the shift to a dynamic creative ecosystem. Join that up with key players in the entertainment industry like Netflix and Amazon making commitments to games and it paints an exciting future. The North West is the perfect home for that with its illustrious expertise in gaming, immersive technology, and film and TV production. It’s bound to continue to attract individuals and companies looking for a centre of excellence outside of London.
studio at Prospect Mill, a building steeped in industrial endeavour. Alongside this heritage, we also pride ourselves on value for money – your first home here in the North is likely to be considerably less expensive than elsewhere in the UK, and the cost of living is very attractive in comparison. We have excellent schools, and highly respected universities offering a range of courses leading into our industry.
Phil Gaskell (Ripstone): The universities in the North as a whole provide a quarter of the UK’s science, technology, engineering and maths graduates, and we have some of the best academic institutions on our doorstep in the North West. We work directly with them to help steer their game-related qualifications and syllabus, and ensure we’ve got a solid pipeline of talent coming through. On top of that we have world-class facilities like MediaCityUK in Salford, which houses entertainment companies like the BBC and ITV and all the SMEs that support them. I’m particularly excited by the new film & TV studios in Liverpool and their ambition to become the “Hollywood of the North,” which has the potential to create another vibrant global hub like MediaCityUK. Investing in facilities like The Depot and the restoration of the iconic Littlewoods building into world-class film and TV studios will inevitably benefit games
Graeme Ankers (Firesprite): Specifically with games, between Liverpool and Manchester, there is a diverse range of companies, from small to medium independents through to large first party studios partnered with global publishers. The mix of companies is an important basic ingredient to any regional “eco system,” as holistically it acts as a multiplier attracting a wide range of talent at various stages of their careers. Over the past two decades the film and TV sector has undergone a huge transformation in the north west, offering state of the art facilities, highly skilled creative talent, and a wealth of intellectual property, all of which cross over into games. On top of this already incredible environment, the region has seen the world’s best legal, operations, corporate finance and investment companies set up their offices. Even as I write this you can see the infrastructure that exists in the North West, incredible talent, leading advisors on your doorstep, a wealth of intellectual property and investment. Run this against a regional history of innovation, a lower cost base than the south, strong universities, great transport links and a very friendly, can-do culture. It is an amazing place to live, work and create!
...AND WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?
Graeme Ankers (Firesprite): I think as our North West infrastructure is new it does not feel as joined up as it could be, mostly in relation to finding the right ways to interface with education and government support. Pre-pandemic, relocation sometimes
“I do believe all the ingredients exist for the north west to be the best place to work in the UK gaming sector.
Consistent sunshine would be the icing on the cake.” Graeme Ankers, co-founder and MD, Firesprite
56 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2022
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