Xbox, Epic and Aardman join capacity crowd for GameDevDay

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Jamie Sefton reports on the latest events from Game Republic supporting game developers in the region…

Well, that was fun! It was #GameDevDay in Leeds on Wednesday 10th May with both Game Republic and GaMaYo events, featuring industry talks, 250+ developers attending, networking and brand-new games on-show from Yorkshire and Northern developers, sponsored by SIGN.

First up Game Republic focused on GDC 2023 announcements, featuring presentations from Ben Board from Epic Games on the new Unreal Engine 5 features and the launch of Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and another Ben (Robinson) from ID@Xbox with the latest Game Pass update and the news of the launch of the fantastic Developer Acceleration Programme which supports and funds underrepresented developers and game themes, with more than 100 games released already.

However the real (and literal) star of the show was the actual Shaun the Sheep, and his “handler” from Aardman, Robert Goodchild, who talked about the award-winning animation studio from Bristol and their work in TV, film and now games, including an upcoming Wallace & Gromit VR title. Finally, we heard from Chris Taylor at Eaton Smith with some (free!) advice on getting your company investor-ready and protecting your IP.

Afterwards was GaMaYo which is the biggest and friendliest developer-only meet-up in Yorkshire and the North – and the Belgrave Music Hall was buzzing with a full turnout and just really great to return to pre-pandemic numbers. Super to see so many new faces and new games to play as well, including GunSuit Guardians by Matt Glanville, Witchmarsh from Inglenook Games, Glasshouse from Flat28, Soul Dealer from Francesca Foffano, a new mad pool title from Laser Dog and Shuttle Revolution by Head Empty Studios. We were also raising more money for the games charity SpecialEffect with both online and in-person collections.

A big shout out to Emma Cowling for all her hard work in running GaMaYo and making everyone feel so welcome and continuing on our journey to make our events the most diverse and friendly in the games industry with help from SIGN – as well as Game Republic’s Jackie Mulligan for her incredible insights and hard work preparing for GameDevDay. Thanks again to our amazing 20th birthday Official Partners – Barclays, Escape Technology and Red Kite Games – and to our guest speakers and to our brilliant games community for attending and supporting GameDevDay.

Can’t wait for the next one in November – if you would like to join Game Republic and get access to all our games events and business development help, get in touch.

GameDevDay returns to Leeds, Wed 10th May!

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It’s the return of GameDevDay! Two game developer events in Leeds on 10th May 2023, sponsored by SIGN.

Starting with a Game Republic business networking event featuring Ben Board, Epic Games with the latest opportunities from the company for developers, a presentation from Rob Goodchild, Aardman Animation on making games, TV and films (and an opportunity to meet the actual Shaun the Sheep!), Chris Taylor, Eaton Smith on getting publisher/investor-ready and Ben Robinson, ID@Xbox with the latest Xbox platform updates.

Then from 6pm – 10.30pm, we’ll be hosting GaMaYo, a networking event at Belgrave Music Hall for games developers from across the North of England, with drinks (non-alcoholic is available) and new games on-show from our talented developers.

This event is free for Game Republic members – if you are interested in joining the network, more info and membership application here

We’re raising money for SpecialEffect in our 20th anniversary year too – donate here.

It’s-a-Game Republic in Japan!

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Just back from Japan – Jamie Sefton gets over the jetlag and jots down some tips and thoughts about his recent trip…

Jamie sefton at nintendo offices in Kyoto holding a YoshiAnyone who has spent more than five minutes with me will know what a Nintendo fanboy I am. From the welcome at Tokyo’s Narita airport from Super Mario to a fabulous trip to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, from a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shinto shrine – the inspiration for Miyamoto’s Star Fox game to getting to see the Nintendo offices in Kyoto – I got my fair fill of Nintendo shrines and temples in Japan.

Whilst there I also got to tour Q-Games meeting Dylan Cuthbert, one of the original Star Fox dev team and creator of games such as X-Scape, PixelJunk Eden and the 3DS version of Star Fox 64 – and watch this space for an online event with them soon. I also got to meet up with old friend and the founder of Video Games Chronicle (VGC) Andy Robinson to discuss all things videogames with Liam Edwards, creator of Cursed to Golf (now living in Kyoto) – and hear about Andy’s stay in the Marufukuro Hotel, the original HQ for Nintendo.

Jamie and Dylan at Q Games studio in KyotoAs any fellow gamer or dev would know, no trip to Japan would be complete without a shopping trip or two for game collectables. I found Tokyo to be a bit disappointing in this regard – Kyoto provided a far better range from the Camera shop round the corner from the hotel selling new Switch games, Super Mario toys, Tamagotchis and more, to the fab second-hand shop Furuhon Ichiba Nishjin store discovered by Dr Jackie Mulligan SFIPM (a discovery she later regretted when we were packing our cases for the return journey… I mean who does put a Splatoon water pistol in a case these days?). Book Off stores also provide a great range of retro classics and second-hand games too – the one in Kawaramachi has a good selection and is in the shopping and entertainment district.

Fushimi Inari shrine - lots of red gates

Of course, there is more to Japan than videogames. On the trip, my family led me to places that were not pixelated, gamified or virtual in any way – Kawagubichu (Mount Fuji), Hiroshima, Miyajima, Nara and more – I found the boss level Great Buddha at Todai-ji particularly impressive, once you pass through the deer-bowing levels to get there.

The country has an inspiring combination of innovation and automation with tradition and nature – their transport system is also incredible, making the UK and particular our Northern transport links look shambolic. Innovation is driven by connection, and it really reminded me how important it is to connect, transport is a key part of that. Ideas travel fast in Japan aided by the Bullet Trains no doubt. I will be following up many of the contacts made there for future events. Nature, friendliness, history and connection, Yorkshire and The North has a lot in common with Japan and the Japanese influence on UK culture from fashion to design, is growing. And of course whilst we can’t travel on our trains at 200mph, we do have Game Republic to make those all-important connections in real life.

Anyone interested in visiting the country – if you want an example itinerary ask Jackie, who managed to get the combination of game and non-game activity just about perfect. Happy to share more tips in person with Game Republic and GaMaYo members at GameDevDay on 10th May in Leeds!

Talent the focus of the next Game Republic event 26th April

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We are a fast-moving industry, making a significant impact on the UK economy. Whilst the games produced look smooth and slick, the production of these great experiences is not easy.

For companies in all sectors, but in particular in tech, attracting and retaining talent is not a simple task. We are in an ever more competitive environment where recruitment is only step one and retaining, supporting and nurturing teams is ever more important. On April 26th, we will be bringing three fantastic guests to share their insights and tips for attracting, retaining and nurturing talent. If you run a games company, or have ambitions to run one, this is a must-attend and a great place for you to network and get answers and help.

Christopher Dring from GamesIndustry. biz will be sharing his insights from the Best Places to Work competition and lessons learnt on best practices in running a games studio, Shahid Ahmad (ex-Sony) will discuss changing negative to positive attitudes to your job and Rosie Taylor, content and community manager for Safe in Our World will be presenting on the very important area of ‘Navigating toxicity in games in community-facing roles’.

This Game Republic event is happening at the Guildhall in York from 4-7pm on 26th April. To book your place at this event, register here. Check your inbox for the free link to this event if you are a member.

This is our fourth event of the year – a special one for Game Republic as its our 20th Anniversary and so big thanks to our Official Partners Barclays Games & Esports‘ Red Kite Games and Escape Technology for supporting our events programme in 2023.

If you would like to attend Game Republic events for FREE, then you can join as a member here

Game Republic Blown Away at GDC 2023 in San Francisco

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A very jetlagged Jamie Sefton reports back after a busy GDC …

meta expo area at GDC

It was a pleasure to be at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco last week. After a few years of pandemic, it felt like this GDC was back to being the world’s biggest developer conference with thousands attending from all over the world. Game Republic led the Department for Business & Trade (DBT) mission to GDC as Export Champion for the Northern Powerhouse – arranging meetings for 50+ games companies to meet publishers, platform-holders and other businesses. Thanks to DBT support, many companies had access to match-funding to help pay for the trip too which was an added bonus.

Alas there was no Californian sun blazing on arrival, instead we were welcomed with a cyclone and horizontal rain including trees blown over (see link to this funny twitter post that perfectly depicts my feelings too). It didn’t matter much what was happening outside though as all the action was inside at GDC. GR and DBT based at Werqwise in San Francisco provided a spacious, friendly office over several floors for informal and formal meetings and for those wanting the outdoors indoors, the space even included yurts!

werqwise space at GDC

Meetings took place with companies including Apple US, Hiro Capital, Valve, Meta, Epic Games, AWS, Tencent Games, Digital Extremes and Nintendo Europe, which will hopefully result in millions of pounds of business for games companies across the UK including our members Radical Forge, Five Aces Publishing, PitStop Productions, Red Kite Games, Renaissance PR and Labrador Studios who were all part of the DBT mission to GDC.

Highlights on the business side was an excellent panel with Shuhei Yoshida (Sony PlayStation Indies) about setting up, creative processes and marketing for indie developers, an Investor Dinner organised by Ukie and a DBT networking drinks event which included competitive games of shuffleboard.
Shuhei Yoshida (Sony PlayStation Indies) panel

Aside from the business meetings – I got to play on some incredible games at the Independent Games Festival games, at Day of the Devs and on stands for Epic, Unity and PlayStation – with VR represented by Meta and new hardware entrant Pico. Fantastic and inspiring stuff which will be featuring in our upcoming events in May supported by our Official Partners Barclays, Red Kite Games and Escape Technology

If you are interested in joining future missions hopefully with funding or learning more about international opportunities and networking, join Game Republic – if you are already a member, then watch this space and look out for our emails coming soon 😉

For a look at recorded sessions from GDC click here