Game on for Dundee again as new firm arrives with 150 jobs

Published on Thursday 10 February 2011 13:45

THE ailing video games industry in Dundee has received a much needed boost with the promise of 150 jobs.

The city is still reeling from the collapse of games giant Real-time Worlds, which folded last September with the loss of 250 jobs after a failed multi-million-pound investment in a new online action game.

But hopes were raised of a revival in the sector yesterday with the decision by Scottish brothers Douglas and Richard Hare, who have carved out successful careers in the games industry in California, to locate their new company, Outplay Entertainment, in the city.

The brothers - who helped develop some of the industry's biggest hits including Star Wars: Episode III, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb and Marc Ecko's Getting Up - will be using Outplay to focus on the development of new games for use on smart phones and social networking websites such as Facebook.

The company is to receive 2.25 million in regional selective assistance support from Scottish Enterprise. The brothers plan to harness the skills of computer games graduates from Abertay University, a centre of excellence in video games education.

Douglas Hare, the company's chief executive, said: "From the earliest days of the industry, Scotland has built a reputation for creativity, inspiration and innovation, with the right skills, the right people and the right support - all in the right place."

The decision was welcomed by First Minister Alex Salmond, who said: "Scotland has demonstrated that it has the talent, infrastructure and skills to deliver success in this fast growing sector. Once famed for jam, jute and journalism, Dundee is transforming into a hub for our creative industries and digital publishing. Outplay Entertainment's decision is testament to the city's reputation for excellence in games development."

Paul Durrant, the director of business development at Abertay University, said: "This is a vote of confidence in the international excellence of the Dundee computer games sector, and in the exceptional graduate talent produced at Abertay University."

Success story in need of a boost

Abertay University launched the world's first computer games technology degree in 1997. The university now runs the UK Centre for Excellence in computer games education.

Games companies north of the Border are concentrated in hubs in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Scotland is home to nearly 25 per cent of UK video games companies.

It has 46 companies employing 651 development staff, with support staff adding another 1,190 jobs. But the sector, both in the UK and in Scotland, has declined over the last couple of years. Between July 2008 and July 2009, 15 per cent of video games companies went out of business.

Scotland suffered a decline in the development workforce of more than 18 per cent in 2010, mainly due to the collapse of Realtime Worlds. However, other Dundee firms such as TAG Games have found success developing apps, while Ruffian Games had a hit with Crackdown 2 on the Xbox 360.