Recruitment starts as video games business opens North West office

Video games firm Sumo Digital, part of Sumo Group, is opening Sumo North West, a new studio in Warrington.

The Sheffield-based group has appointed Scott Kirkland as its studio director.

Sumo North West is Sumo Digital’s seventh UK and eighth global studio, expanding the capabilities of the company by focusing on the delivery of high-end engineering and code support services to prestigious clients.

Sumo is looking to recruit team members for the new studio immediately.

Scott Kirkland, a BAFTA nominee (technical leadership, Motorstorm), has a 23-year track record of innovation and leadership.

A pioneer of 3D graphics programming and a co-founder of Evolution Studios and Secret Sorcery, he most recently managed multi-project, multi-platform development for clients including major first party studios and the world’s biggest publishers.

He said: “The opportunity to establish a world-class team of technologists in the North West of England with the full support and benefits of Sumo is amazing and the demand for the premium services we’ll provide is very strong.

“We’ve identified work that’s incredibly appealing in terms of client, project, platform profile, variety and challenge. I look forward to growing and nurturing a team that will cement Sumo’s future in the North West’s vibrant development community.”

Sumo Digital managing director, Gary Dunn, said: “Scott’s creativity, unrivalled technical experience and work ethic made him the clear choice to lead a studio designed to deliver cutting-edge technical excellence.”

He added: “Sumo North West further extends our proven ability to deliver outstanding games and game content to blue-chip clients across the world. The demand is there, we have fantastic projects lined up and the region has an incredible talent pool to draw from.”