North East England is a powerhouse in the global gaming sector.
Newcastle is the fourth biggest city for gaming in the UK (Ukie) and contributes £85.8 million to the local economy. We are home to more than 60 internationally renowned gaming companies. And, we have some of the best gaming facilities and workspaces in the country. We offer access to over 120,000 students across five universities and have almost 100 education courses supporting the sector. Companies moving to the North East can also join more than 10 networks and meet-ups for games developers and artists.
Gaming facilities in North East England are exceptional. We are home to PROTO, a nationally unique studio that provides cost-effective access to mocap and 3D character capture as well as an immersive lab run by Digital Catapult North East and Tees Valley. In 2021, the Immersive and Games Incubation Hub opened next door, offering start-ups desk and office space, tailored business support, consultancy, contacts and events.
Our gaming sector is one of the most welcoming and collaborative in the UK – we’re a friendly bunch! You can meet new contacts at a wide variety of games-specific events across the region, be it at a gaming conference created by developers for developers, or at cluster network gatherings, regular gaming meet-ups or at games jams.
With five universities, numerous networks and meet-ups, it’s easy to see why the likes of Ubisoft Reflections are based here and how home-grown studios such as Coatsink and Coconut Lizard are achieving international success. Our strong, established pipeline of talent makes the region a great place for studios of all sizes to access the people they need to grow.
North East England offers access to all of this at extremely affordable rates. According to the Financial Times Benchmarking Study, a 40-person video games operation in North East England would cost £1.45 million less per annum than locating in London. We have a huge range of premises available, from collaborative space to small development studios, city centre facilities to large-scale out-of-town business parks, providing your company with room to grow.
