Games Businesses Aim to Turn Their Ambitions to Gold in the Golden City
Last week Elevator rocked the international stage. Led by Elevator Accelerator Manager - Dundee, Andy Campbell and Assistant Accelerator Manager - Dundee, Cat Ward, a delegation from our Global Domination Accelerator travelled to San Francisco for the Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2018 - the world's largest professional game industry event.
The group that travelled to California’s ‘Golden City’ comprised 8 of the brightest new Scottish games companies:
Biome Collective
Biome Collective is a diverse, inclusive melting pot of technology, art and culture for people who want to create, collaborate and explore games, digital art and technology. The Dundee-based collective is the first of its kind in Scotland. Biome Collective is made up of an ever-expanding range of disciplines from design and art to business and technology. It is creating a culture of collaboration beyond the traditional game sector by fostering local and international relationships and creating original and unique IP.
Di4d
Founded in 2003 and based in Glasgow, Dimensional Imaging Ltd (DI4D) is a private company specialising in three-dimensional surface image capture and analysis of the human face and body. The company supplies a range of systems and software that use its world-leading DI3D™ passive stereo photogrammetry technology to either instantly capture ultra-high-resolution 3D surface images using standard digital stills cameras, or to capture advanced “4D” sequences using digital video cameras.
Etherplay
Etherplay is at the forefront of an emerging new market for games, through their use of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Their skill game platform has been live since January 2017 and has attracted worldwide interest.
Hyper Luminal Games
Hyper Luminal is a rapidly growing company which has established itself as one of the key players in the Scottish games industry. It aims to create an original, engaging IP for 8-12-year olds that will become prominent in international entertainment markets.
KeelWorks
KeelWorks creates high quality, unique and fun entertainment experiences, with a specific focus on video games. It is founded by three team members who came together because of their love of storytelling and video games. Each member has over 13 years of experience in their respective fields, which includes VFX work on Hollywood and commercial productions, animation work at studios such as Pixar, art direction and direction on award-winning feature films and project/funding management at a governmental level in Scotland and abroad.
Kettle of Fish
Kettle of Fish creates interactive story apps for pre-school children. Using a positive blend of technology and creativity, they build exciting new educational media for children and their families and create stories that grow with a child. In addition to producing great digital books, the team are also creating a machine learning platform that supports child development through creative play. The platform learns from the child as he or she develops and delivers the content specific to each child’s ability.
Orthrus Studios
Orthrus Studios focuses on producing a wide range of accessible, well-crafted and enduring games and software experiences. In its first year, the company released two titles in the serious games realm being utilised by a large selection of schools across Scotland and beyond. With a diverse range of clients and a strong ambition to continually improve their craft, the team is developing its first original IP game - a medieval high fantasy economic city builder, infused with a rich, illustrative lore and an intricate marriage of satire and absurd comedy.
Pocket Sized Hands
Pocket Sized Hands specialise in creating bespoke applications and games using the latest augmented and virtual reality technology. Working with brands, agencies and business, they create immersive experiences that blur the lines between reality and the digital world.
The GDC, which attracts over 26,000 attendees per year, forms the pinnacle international event where anyone involved in the development of interactive games and virtual reality gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry.
As well as showcasing at this event, the delegation has taken part in a packed schedule of activities aimed at boosting their businesses and building valuable international links.
The group took part in a road trip to Silicon Valley, starting off at the Rocket Space Accelerator in San Francisco, which provides some of the world’s top tech start-ups with direction and support. Dentons (who are one of the key sponsors for our Dundee Centre of Entrepreneurship and Accelerator Programme) in Palo Alto formed another stopping point, where our group met the Dentons team, along with entrepreneurs and investors. After some pitching, our group took part in some great discussions and received fantastic feedback. No tech visit to California could be complete of course without a visit to the incredible Apple Visitor Centre, with the Cupertino facility wowing the group.
On the evening of Thursday 22nd March, our 8 businesses took part in a special Showcase, where they pitched to an invited audience of investors, technology experts and potential partners. All of our businesses pitched perfectly and received excellent feedback across the board. Crucially, this enabled us to connect these businesses with some of the key tech and investment players the other side of the pond.
In addition to this, we’re delighted to announce that one of the companies, Hyper Luminal signed a major publishing deal last week. Further details about this are to be released this week (w/c Monday 26th of March), so keep your eyes open for updates!
Through undertaking this trip, the ultimate aim was for our delegation of Scottish games companies to build valuable international contacts and exposure, while taking away important sector insights that can help drive their businesses and projects forward. Thus, we’re delighted that our travelling companies were able to take so much out of the trip, hitting Scottish soil again armed with a new host of contacts, skills, insights and feedback.
Run in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Elevator’s Global Domination Accelerator Programme is aimed at supporting Scottish games sector companies in their quest for international growth and domination! For more information on this programme, please click here.
Elevator is also currently recruiting for a special Accelerator Programme in both Aberdeen and Dundee, aimed at students, recent graduates and university and college members of staff. If you’re about to start or have already started your own ambitious business, this free-to-attend programme will give you the support, skills and mentoring to drive your business forward fast. Also included on the programme is Elevator’s entrepreneurial outdoor boot camp, the Elevator Challenge, which takes place from 18th – 20th June 2018. For more information, please click here.
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