Phil Gaskell (Ripstone): I’ve worked in games for over 25 years, exclusively in the North West, so I’ve learned my craft alongside many of the people now leading game businesses in the region. Whilst we’re lightly competitive, and all looking to entice the best talent, we have a lot of mutual respect for each other and we do what we can to help each other when the need arises. We’re all very closely knit and there’s a strong sense of North West community and camaraderie among the various game companies and creative studios, certainly in Liverpool and very much so across the network of game studios in the Baltic Triangle.
WHAT EVENTS AND ORGANISATIONS ARE THERE FOR THE NW?
Gareth Jones (Playdemic): The main group in the North West that I’m aware of is Gameopolis, as I have been involved in some of their events. However, the pandemic has really affected regional events and networking. Hopefully this is something that will improve this year.
Phil Gaskell (Ripstone): It might be that I’ve been a bit of a lockdown hermit for too long, but I honestly don’t think there’s enough, certainly in Merseyside. I hope as we come out of the pandemic we’ll see a reinvigoration and desire to find ways of getting together again. Events like Play Expo Manchester were great, so I hope we see that carry on in 2022 and beyond, and Liverpool Comic Con was looking promising pre-COVID. Gameopolis does good work promoting the Greater Manchester developer scene. I do sometimes get a pang of envy when I see the networking and support in places like Leeds with the amazing and tireless work done by Game Republic and GaMaYo. I’d love to see something like that blossom in Liverpool, and it’s high time our city had an exclusive videogame event of its own on the calendar.
Graeme Ankers (Firesprite): GP Bullhound has always supported the Northern Tech Sector with their Northern Tech Awards. It is great to see companies in the region being celebrated and shining a spotlight on tech entrepreneurs and businesses in the North West. There is an opportunity for a games and entertainment
event in the North, that could act as a vehicle to showcase the innovation from the region.
Mike Rose (No More Robots): There are some smaller events in the North, but nothing on the scale of say, Develop Conference, or EGX, or anything like that. I’d personally like to change that in the next few years.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY UNIVERSITIES?
Gareth Jones (Playdemic): Manchester has one of the largest student populations in Europe and the universities offer some incredible courses that are relevant to our business – not just games courses, but maths, science, art and economics to name just a few. Working with our local universities is something we would definitely like to do more of, to promote the industry here in the north west and encourage up and coming talent.
Arden Aspinall (Rebellion North): We have built great relationships with a number of universities in the north of England, and we work closely with Game Republic on regular student showcase events, rewarding achievement and encouraging new talent.
Phil Gaskell (Ripstone): Education is a major strategic focus for us and we work with a variety of academic institutions in the North West, not just universities. We encourage all our staff and heads of department to get involved where they can to give something back to local communities and to inspire future generations to be aware of the amazingly fulfilling careers open to them in our games industry.
Graeme Ankers (Firesprite): Many of our Firesprite team are passionate about sharing their experience and knowledge with those aspiring for a career in the games industry, and this is heavily encouraged as part of our studio culture. Developing deeper links with regional universities is something that we will continue to evolve, as we recognize the importance of supporting the
“The Government like to go on about how much they’re helping the tech industries in the North, but I can tell you that in my decade in video games, I’ve certainly
never felt it here in Manchester” Mike Rose, founder and director, No More Robots
58 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2022
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