This year’s Indielab Games UK-wide Accelerator programme kicked-off to a flying start with a cohort of ten games studios from across the country.
2024 Indielab Games Cohort, courtesy of Indielab Games.
The studios taking part for 2024 are: Dragon Scale Studios, Rat Magic Games, Space Colony Studios, Evil Owl Studios, DragonfiAR Limited, Deadhead Games, Neon Wave Studios, Konglomorate Games, Madd Studio and Dink Devs.
The UK-wide Games Accelerator programme has been designed to help games studios unlock potential, grow, innovate, and succeed. It focuses not only on developing studios growth plans, but also on accelerating participant’s publisher pitches and development of their game playables, culminating in an opportunity to pitch to a room full of leading publishers at an exclusive two-day event hosted by Indielab Games and Unity Technologies to coincide with Develop:Brighton.
The 2024 cohort were selected from a wide-range of applications from across Wales, Scotland and England.
This year, Indielab Games is delighted to welcome bursary places generously provided by its partners Creative Wales (5 places), Creative Scotland (3 places) and Glasgow City Council (1 place).
Additional partners and supporters of the programme include accountancy firm Moore Kingston Smith and legal partners Harbottle and Lewis, both of which are providing helpdesk support for the cohort for the duration of the programme.
Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director, Creative Wales, said: “It’s fantastic to see Creative Wales investment leading to five Welsh companies named amongst the latest cohort of the Indielab Games Accelerator programme. Through partnership working, we’re able to recognise huge potential and give them the support and guidance needed to continue to make excellent content for global audiences. I’m excited to see the progress that’ll come as a result of this initiative, which will boost the thriving Games sector in Wales. Good luck to all of the companies taking part!
Creative Industries Manager at Creative Scotland, Morgan Petrie, said: “Scotland has a significant legacy of innovation in games and continues to nourish a diverse pool of talent. Initiatives like the UK Games Accelerator programme help ensure that talent continues to thrive. Thanks to The National Lottery funding, we congratulate the studios selected to participate and look forward to seeing the impact on their skills, networks, and growth.”
The 2024 Games Accelerator which launched in May in Newport, Wales will run for three months and close in Brighton in July. The programme will be delivered through a mix of virtual and in-person bespoke masterclasses, seminars and panels sessions with leading experts drawn from across the games industry. Respected facilitators Oscar Clark and Ella Romanos are part of the delivery team, while speakers include a wealth of industry professionals, founders and developers including Callum Underwood (Founder Uwu Biz), Michael Marlow (Moore Kingston Smith, Kostyantyn Lobov (Harbottle & Lewis) and industry coach Jon Torrens. In addition, the programme encompasses networking events and an exciting Pitch to Publishers event at Unity HQ in Brighton, to coincide with Develop, one of the UK’s leading Games Developer events.
Victoria Powell, CEO of Indielab Games, comments: “I am thrilled with the applications that this years Games Accelerator attracted and with the studios that were selected to join the programme. Working with our partners from across Games sector, we have designed a growth programme that will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, networks and investment needed to grow their business and produce more content and games with impact at both national and international levels.”
Background
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow them on X, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
About Creative Wales
Creative Wales is an economic development agency within Welsh Government that supports the development of the fast-growing creative industries in Wales. We focus on promoting growth across TV, Film and Animation; Games, VFX and Post- production; Music and Comedy and Publishing, positioning Wales as one of the best places in the world for creative businesses to thrive. We invest in creating opportunities for people in the industry by supporting Skills and Talent initiatives for young people and our talented workforce; we fund projects that boost infrastructure and creative businesses, provide specialist advice and actively promote sustainability, diversity and equality for all across the creative sectors. We are passionate about supporting home-grown talent and attracting international creative projects to Wales. In doing so, we are strengthening the industry in the long
term and creating exciting opportunities for future generations. For more information visit creative.wales and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
About Glasgow City Council
Glasgow City Council is the largest local authority in Scotland with the mission of supporting a fair and sustainable city where everyone gets to contribute, and all can benefit from a flourishing Glasgow. Find out more at www.glasgow.gov.uk.
About Moore Kingston Smith
At Moore Kingston Smith, we create lasting success for our clients, people, and communities. Our clients and people have influenced our story and shaped us into the leading multi-disciplinary professional advisory firm we are today. Listening to the needs, ambitions and challenges of our clients, we develop innovative, bespoke solutions to help them thrive in an ever-changing world. Understanding the individual needs of our clients is only possible through strong relationships built on trust – and that’s where our people come in. We’re proud to have built a genuinely integrated team of experts, working together across multiple disciplines to deliver quality results. Our people are the key to our sustainable success, and we are committed to developing outstanding leaders who collaborate to deliver on our promises. With global reach, we help our clients to achieve lasting success at local, national and international levels, through the Moore Global network. We are the London firm of leading accounting and advisory network, Moore UK.
About Harbottle & Lewis
Harbottle & Lewis is a Tier 1 ranked full-service law firm with a focus on the technology, media and entertainment sectors. We are based in London, although most of our work is international in nature. Being a market leader in video games and esports work is a core part of our strategy. We have been advising studios, publishers and other clients in this space since the days of the 8-bit console. Our clients range in size from individual talent and indie start-ups, all the way to global AAA publishers. We are particularly known for our industry awareness and ability to deliver advice which is pragmatic, easy to understand and alive to the particular sensitivities of the games industry.
About Indielab Games
Indielab Games is a division of Indielab, the well-established and widely acclaimed provider of Accelerator programmes for the UK’s content creation sector. Through regional and national programmes that combine bespoke masterclasses, seminars, and events – all delivered by industry leaders and experts – Indielab’s programmes equip companies with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to achieve their full potential. Through workshops, lectures, panel discussions, networking events and one-to-one sessions, developers and studios gain valuable insight into, and training in, a range of subjects, including leadership, commercial innovation, business planning, distribution, revenue- stream maximisation, corporate finance and investment readiness.
Media contacts
For more information about Indielab Games, please visit: www.indielabgames.co.uk
For further information, please contact: Amelia York [email protected]