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Still time to apply for the 'Advance' Programme!
Who is Advance – Games Support for?
Advance is a new programme delivered by Creative England in partnership with Wakefield District Council providing bespoke business support to creative SMEs, individuals and freelancers based in Wakefield and the wider region. This programme is funded by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Cultural Development Fund grant, which is administered by Arts Council England.
Advance will offer bespoke mentoring to creative SMEs, individuals and freelancers based in Wakefield and the region. Ukie have been brought on board as a specialist provider for their cohort of games mentees.
Creative England and Ukie will be recruiting ten game developer mentees to provide support and advice from industry experts, including lead industry partner Wakefield based Team17, on some of the key skills needed to run a successful games business.
Global launches FastFlex in response to changing consumer patterns
There is no denying that the ebb and flow of our city has changed since we entered the pandemic, with lockdown measures being lifted and reinstated across the country we have all gained a heightened sense of community. But the city is still moving, consumers are still making journeys and media moments are now being played closer to home.
Buses now play an even bigger role in community life as consumer journeys revolve around part time working, school drop off, outdoor exercise and local socialising. They take your brand deep into the heart of residential areas or right up into central London. Iconic and mobile they provide brand fame, raise awareness of your messaging and deliver great reach.
But passengers journeys are no longer predictable, and we all need to think more dynamically about consumers movements. Enter Fastflex a flexible way to schedule, post and take down your bus campaigns. From booking confirmation to a fully posted Bus campaign in under 72 hours, it is designed to meet the responsive needs of your business while delivering reach for your brand quickly and at scale. This service means that if there is a local lockdown in the UK, we can take down 90% of your campaign in 72hrs.
The suburbs are recovering faster than city centres and this new product puts you in the heart of the community.
Plus Accounting provide business support for games developers
Luke Thomas, Director at Plus Accounting Chartered Accountants acts for all of their Games Developer clients, which includes circa 90 companies. They have a dedicated web page for Game Developers: http://www.plusaccounting.co.uk/our-services/niche-sectors/video-games-development which includes testimonials, useful guides on various areas of accounting and tax for developers and more information on the services we offer. He is also very experienced with video games tax relief and has dealt with numerous claims over several years on behalf of his clients.
Download one, or the full guide here.
Craftlands Workshoppe Releases in Early Access
Craftlands Workshoppe, a fantasy business management game with a quirky sense of humour, hit Steam Early Access this month!
From the out-there imagination behind the Shoppe Keep series comes a brand-new fantasy business adventure set in the clouds. Craftlands Workshoppe is hiring! But can you run your store, master three noble crafts and solve the former owner’s mysterious disappearance?
Developed by Arvydas Žemaitis and published by Excalibur Games. Check out the Steam page and make sure to follow us on Twitter: @Excalpublishing
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Mapping Scotland's Videogames Ecosystem
Everybody knows that Scotland is a powerhouse in videogames, which punches well above its weight. But few people can name the studios working in, or games currently coming from Scotland.
Over the next six months, the Scottish Games Network will change this by carrying out the first ever comprehensive mapping exercise of Scotland’s rapidly evolving videogames ecosystem.
Founder and director, Brian Baglow, has been awarded a Connected Innovators grant, to enable him to carry out the research, which will capture the whole games sector, in its broadest definition.
Scotland has a global reputation as a pioneer in the games sector, with games such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto achieving worldwide fame, while the University of Abertay, creator of the worlds first videogames degree, is still regularly rated as the best place to study games in Europe.
The Connected Innovators research will map every participant involved in designing, developing, publishing, distributing, teaching, broadcasting, or supporting the games and interactive industries, as well as the games being released.
Rogue Company Goes Free-to-Play
First Watch Games and Hi-Rez Studios have made their stylish cross-platform team shooter Rogue Company free-to-play worldwide on Nintendo Switch, PC via Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Players can enjoy Rogue Companys third-person action, tactics and attitude for free across all four platforms - complete with full cross-play and cross-save support.
After a hugely successful early access that welcomed over 2 million players, free-to-play kicked off with a bang by adding new Rogue, Dahlia, as well as partnerships with 100Thieves, an exclusive Prime Gaming skin giveaway and much more.
Grads in Games launches new online initiative to help students become more employable for the video games industry
Grads in Games has expanded their already huge outreach by launching a new educational initiative: The Get in the Game Online Journey.
The team will be working with 150 universities and institutions across the UK & Europe offering opportunities for thousands of students to access original video content. They will be able to get advice on guidance from the Grads in Games team in collaboration with games studios on how to get a graduate role in games programming, art, design, animation & VFX.
The team are always looking for more industry partners, contact Operations Manager Andy Driver to find out more about partnership opportunities.
British Esports Championships
The British Esports Championships is a series of national tournaments for students aged 12+ across the UK, representing their school or college in Overwatch, League of Legends and Rocket League. The British Esports Association is streaming matches every week via its Twitch channel.
Check out the event schedule here.
The Pixel Mill is a collaborative co-working space for game development teams across Northern Ireland. Through Northern Ireland Screen, development initiatives for individuals and companies are accessible in partnership with The Pixel Mill.
Platform is an accelerator programme for video game companies in Northern Ireland. Coffee Box Games, Far Few Giants and Out of Tune Games are the latest gaming companies to benefit from the opportunities available to grow their companies and bring fresh ideas to video game development. They have access to facilities, mentors, training, funding and networking opportunities. The selected companies are currently working in the production phase of the programme which lasts a total of 24 weeks. Here they will fully develop and self-publish their game based on an original IP.
Lastly, The Pixel Mill’s Unity Developer Programme in partnership with Future Screens NI delivered free training to 27 interactive immersive content developers. Participants built two complete Unity projects, implementing core interactivity, supporting systems and platform optimisations.
This training covered six topic areas:
- Programming core interactions
- Working in the art pipeline
- Developing application systems
- Programming for scene and environment design
- Optimising for performance and platforms
- Working in professional software development teams
By successfully completing the projects in the workshop, participants gained extensive, guided practice in the programming skills needed to pass the Unity Certified Programmer exam.
The Pixel Mill is funded by Northern Ireland Screen with support from the Department for the Economy.
For more information about The Pixel Mill, visit www.thepixelmill.com.