Scottish and Northern England video game sectors receive £millions
Games developers in Scotland and the North West of England are set to benefit from millions of pounds in each region.
The European Regional Development Fund is to aid the Scottish industry, especially strong in the city of Dundee which will receive £2.5million from the UK Government which will invest in a video games centre at Abertay University and another £1million for the European Regional Development Fund.
Meanwhile another £1million will be spent in the creation of a ‘centre of excellence’ at MediaCity having also been invested by the UK Government as it looks to back business sectors on the verge of growing.
The two centers will be linked to one another and follow closely the launch of NorthernNet which looks to link creative and digital companies in the North of England.
Abertay University’s project will use the funding to assist the start-up of 20 new games development companies and support 30 existing enterprises as the University forecasts an increase to the Scottish games development industry's turnover by £3 million over the life of the three year project.
Fiona Hyslop, Scotland’s culture minister, said: "The project will target emerging small and medium-sized enterprises, providing support where it is needed most. The prototype fund is a great innovation that will allow production of demo games with reduced financial risk, easing entry into this competitive marketplace."
Dave Jones, founder of Dundee-based Crackdown and developers Realtime Worlds, said: "Using a prototype fund to provide computing and arts students with the opportunity to get hands on experience of real projects will help equip them better for working in our high growth industry and help feed the demand we have for talent."