Gaming start-ups flock to Science Park

BIRMINGHAM Science Park Aston is creating a new hub for computer game entrepreneurs, following the establishment of three new businesses at the site.

Soshi Games, OOP! and InteGames are based in incubator suites at the Park, employing eight people working full-time on gaming projects involving smartphone apps, web services and social media.

Soshi Games and OOP! use the Park’s Entrepreneurs for the Future (e4f) incubation suites, supported by the European Regional Development Fund, while InteGames is based in offices allocated for start-ups launched through the Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network (BSEEN) programme.

 
Simon Jenner, head of incubation at BSPA, said: “The games industry is becoming increasingly vital to the UK economy, with predictions that the multi-billion pound sector will grow by at least 10% over the next four years, fuelled by the rise in online gaming.

“The West Midlands is now one of the strongest regions of the UK for the gaming economy and Birmingham Science Park Aston has become the city’s new hub for start-up companies entering the industry.

“Being based at the Science Park, these companies benefit from support with their business plans and access to business services, funding streams and private investors.

“They also gain a huge advantage from being located within a like-minded community, exchanging contacts and ideas in an informal fashion.”

The Park recently hosted the Future Gaming event, where more than 200 attendees heard from established games companies such as Blitz and Rare, and saw new enterprises showcasing their developments.  

David Hardman, managing director of BSPA, said: “Developing a games company is not itself a game. We are looking to provide not just a creative environment, a cool place to be; but one that is also linked to commercial expertise and experience to drive growth and business success.”

Soshi Games uses sites like Facebook to create games that deliver positive social messages.

Soshi’s business plan is based on a ‘freemium’ model, where circa 95% of customers will play the games for free, while the remaining 5% will pay enough to generate a significant return for investors.

Launched earlier this month, Soshi’s first gaming product ‘Village Raffles’ features charities such as Keep Britain Tidy, Kiva Microfinance, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Fair Trade USA.

Founded this month, OOP! creates bespoke products using iPhone apps and social networking platforms. The team of four digital gaming specialists is currently working on its first product, ‘Deadland’, for launch next year. At the recent Global Entrepreneurship Week, OOP! won the ‘BSPA 2010 Digital Entrepreneur Award’.

InteGames was founded by 21-year-old Alex Major, who completed his degree course in computing for business at Aston University in June and started his company through the BSEEN programme the following day.

The company is developing cross-platform games enabling people to play on any internet enabled device.

Birmingham Science Park Aston will become the UK’s first ‘science park without walls’ in January with the launch of an ‘Ideas and Communications’ Suite equipped with state-of-the art video conferencing equipment to help entrepreneurs pitch to funders across the world.