Published: 30 Jun 2023
The 2023 Indielab Games UK cohort
The Indielab Games UK-wide Accelerator programme kicked-off to a flying start with its first cohort of fourteen games studios from across the country.
The studios taking part for 2023 are: Bearhammer Games, Chimera Tales, COPA, Damage State, Games Alchemist, Goldborough Studio, Good Gate Media, Hairy Heart Games, Northrak, Pocket Sized Hands, RunWild Entertainment, Skyline Studios, Solar Flare and Yaldi Games.
The UK Games Accelerator programme has been created to help games studios unlock potential, grow, innovate, attract investment and succeed. The 2023 cohort were selected from a wide-range of applications from across Wales, Scotland and England and are not only poised for growth but reflect the diversity that Indielab Games champions in the sector.
The 2023 programme has been generously subsidised by Creative Wales, Creative Scotland, InGAME, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Harbottle and Lewis, providing bursary support to cover the participation fees for the entire cohort, indlusing 6 Scottish studios, 6 Welsh studos and 2 English studios.
Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director, Creative Wales, said: “It’s fantastic to see Welsh companies amongst the first cohort of Indielab’s new accelerator. Through partnership working, we’re able to recognise the huge potential of creatives 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 new initiative, which will boost the thriving Games sector in Wales. Good luck to all of the companies taking part!”
Director of Creative Industries at Creative Scotland, Clive Gillman, said: “Scotland is no stranger to gaming innovation and has a significant legacy in the industry and continues to nourish a diverse pool of talent. The Scottish video game sector continues to flourish and initiatives like the UK Games Accelerator programme will ensure it continues to grow further. Thanks to The National Lottery funding from National Lottery players, we congratulate the studios selected to participate and look forward to seeing the impact on their skills, networks, investment base and growth that will cement Scotland as the place to be for a successful career in video games.”
Delivery of the 2023 programme is currently taking place in 3 cities across the UK including Glasgow, Cardiff and London through an innovative series of masterclasses, seminars, events and showcases 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 industry developers and entrepreneurs such as Mike Bithell and Jason Della Rocca. In addition, the programme encompasses networking events and an investment-readiness strand that culminates in a valuable investor pitch opportunity, for project investment or equity. Historically, these pitch events have delivered a 20 per cent conversation rate across Indielab programmes, delivering numerous investment deals for attending creative businesses.
Victoria Powell, CEO of Indielab Games, comments: “I am thrilled with the applications that our inaugural UK-wide 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.”
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us
on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.
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.
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.
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.
Led by Abertay University, in partnership with the University of Dundee, the University of St Andrews, InGAME delivers innovative research and R&D support to games companies in the city of Dundee and beyond. InGAME is part of the Creative Industries Cluster Programme, funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council and part of the Industrial Strategy. We also receive significant funding from the Scottish Funding Council. The primary purpose of InGAME is to increase the value and scale of the cluster. Central to this is the Collaborative R&D Voucher Scheme, an independently assessed application for R&D support, which offers organisations the chance to utilise the talent, technology and knowledge available througt the InGAME Partnership.
Indielab Games is a division of Indielab, the well-established and widely acclaimed provider of Accelerator programmes for the UK’s content creation sector. 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.
Scottish Enterprise (SE) is Scotland’s national economic development agency and a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It supports businesses to innovate and scale to transform the Scottish economy by focusing on new market opportunities through targeted investment, innovation and internationalisation.
E: Amelia York Amelia@weareindielab.co.uk
