Further to Ukie’s Regional Impact Report and research conducted by the organisers of Interactive Futures, video games companies within the Leamington Spa area expect to open up 500 new jobs in the next two years, offering “huge opportunities for young people and graduates in the Midlands region and beyond” as one of the UK’s largest games hubs.
The vacancies expected to arise include opportunities for artists, designers, producers, programmers, and engineers, although the range of careers on offer extends beyond technical and creative disciplines, too, including marketing, HR, administration, community support, and more.
In Ukie’s report, eight towns and cities in the UK were identified as generating over £60m for the games industry: Crawley & Horsham, Edinburgh, Guildford, Leamington Spa, London, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, and Slough & Heathrow.
“Leamington Spa is representative of the ‘roots’ of the UK video games community, an industry that contributes around £2.8 billion in GVA to the UK economy,” said Sarah Windrum, chair of the CWLEP Digital Creative Business Group and board director at the CWLEP. “The region boasts some of the ‘godfathers’ of the global games sector and it is testament to the talent and creativity of the area that we are continuing to attract businesses to the region –all keen to benefit from the buzz that Leamington Spa’s games circle has to offer.
“It’s rare to hear of such a flurry of new job opportunities in one place, so the news that here in Leamington Spa we’ll have up to 500 new vacancies is great for the region and the local community.”
Taking place on January 31 and February 1 at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington, Interactive Futures’ two-day conference and expo will “once again showcase to the industry and to the general public the rich seam of talent and opportunity within the Leamington Games Hub” and includes a conference programme, career fair, and expo. Tickets for Interactive Futures 2020, which includes headline speakers Brenda and John Romero, are on sale now.
