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The top game development companies in Manchester

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Danielle Trigg

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05/01/2023

The top game development companies in Manchester

As a category of entertainment, gaming is thriving in the modern world. Thanks to console gaming products and the emergence of portable gaming devices, like smartphones, we have an abundance of gaming options to explore in 2022. In fact, we’ve never seen anything like it before, with people turning to an extensive selection of gaming products when boredom sets in.

Thankfully, some of Manchester’s very own game development companies have played their part in gaming’s rise up the entertainment ranks. These companies have created new and improved products on console machines, they’re elevating the mobile category of gaming with a collection of innovative titles, and they’re releasing a wave of PC and social media titles that are elevating the overall genre. These companies are generally made up of coders, artists, animation experts, audio developers, and a range of other professionals who help to bring the games we know and love today to life.

An area of business that is showing notable growth in Manchester, these top development companies deserve a lot of plaudits. The market is wide open, too, meaning that gaming companies no longer must create games for consoles only. Mobile games, social media games, and even iGaming titles, with the latter now extending to both software-based games like slots and live dealer games like live roulette, have led to more and more opportunities for studios to build new creations.

People can jump between a console gaming session at home before embarking on a mobile adventure with ease during a train journey, making gaming one of the most prominent entertainment options for people today. Let’s salute some of the Manchester-based game development companies that have impacted the space, too.

White Paper Games

A small independent company with huge potential, White Paper Games has been representing the Manchester game development scene since 2014 and has gone on to become a familiar name in the space. One of the company’s most successful releases is The Occupation, a PC and console gaming option that offers a single-player aspect as players embark on adventures that take place in a government building. The narrative-driven, non-combat immersive sim is just one product from White Paper Games’ extensive catalogue of titles. While it’s a small company on the whole, this Manchester-based developer certainly has big talent.

VoxelStorm

Founded in 2012 by Eugene Hopkinson, VoxelStorm is another game development company that is shining in Manchester. Also acting as a game publisher and music publisher, the company has shown steady growth thanks to a number of solid gaming products. Also enlisting the help of local musicians, writers, programmers and artists, VoxelStorm’s most successful games include the likes of Fractyr, AdvertCity, SphereFace, and TacWing.

Fabrik Games

Since 2014, Fabrik Games has gone on to become one of the most impressive game development companies in the UK. Two of the company’s leading products include Filthy Lucre and The Lost Bear, with the latter release resulting in a number of awards for this exciting game development company. The Persistence is another game that has resulted in Fabrik Games being regarded as one of the emerging forces in this particular area of entertainment.

Acid Nerve

Founded by Mark Foster and David Fenn, the pair brought Acid Nerve to life after meeting at an event in the city. Then, from there, the talented duo struck up a friendship before joining forces to create a Christmas-themed product that managed to hit the mark with gamers. The game, which was called ‘Pantsless Santa’, was Acid Nerve’s first foray into the gaming arena. Since then, other successful games that have been produced by the company’s continually expanding team include the likes of Titan Souls, Leaf Me Alone, and Fruitwolf.

Other top Manchester-based game development companies include Smashmouth Games Ltd, 360 Studios, Phigames, and Prospect Games.

Pioneering courses for emergency service workers launching to upskill and futureproof workforce

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05/01/2023

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Pioneering courses for emergency service workers launching to upskill and futureproof workforce

TRAINING courses created to support and upskill blue light service workers are now available in Greater Manchester as part of the city-region’s three-year Skills for Growth programme.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has awarded funding to Seetec Outsource to create The Blue Light Development Academy. GMCA has awarded nearly £2m to Seetec to establish the academy, with the training programme fully-funded through the European Social Fund (ESF).

The Blue Light Development Academy aims to support blue light staff with career development including leadership skills. There is also a strong focus on personal well-being, with programmes available on building resilience and for managers to understand health needs of staff.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Greater Manchester’s Lead for Education, Work, Skills, Apprenticeships and Digital, said:

“We are proud of Greater Manchester’s pioneering Skills for Growth programme and all of its achievements, with thousands of employees supported in building their careers. However, we know there are still many industries in the city-region who could benefit from fully-funded training.

“The newly launched Blue Light Academy recognises the demanding work of emergency services staff and includes specially adapted courses on how they can manage their well-being during pressured situations. This will not only be of benefit to the workforce, but also our residents who will receive a better service as a result.”

Seetec has been granted £1,998,763.75 to launch The Blue Light Development Academy. The training programme has been developed in collaboration with North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) with plans to expand to support to other blue light services in the future. The training, made up of workshops and e-learning, aims to help learners with leadership skills, coaching and management.

The courses available for front-line and support staff include:

British Sign Language
Presentation Skills
Understanding Health in the Workplace for Managers
Bespoke Leadership and Management
Digital Skills
Inclusivity and Diversity Awareness
And a range of other topics.

Lloyd DeVal, Director of Sector Skills at Seetec Outsource, said:

“Working collaboratively with North West Ambulance Service, we’re delighted to be able to support the overall mental health and resilience of the emergency services sector in Greater Manchester by upskilling workers so they can progress their career development and improve their overall personal wellbeing.

“As an award-winning provider with significant experience of delivering across Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Seetec Outsource is well placed to deliver the skilled workforce that Greater Manchester needs to meet current and future challenges and embrace growth opportunities.”

Skills for Growth is GMCA’s three-year programme aimed at plugging skills gaps employers in Greater Manchester have highlighted they are struggling to fill.

A range of industries are being supported by the programme including the leisure sector, creative and cultural industry, construction, blue light services, green economy as well as HR, customer services the digital industry, logistics and manufacturing.

The Skills for Growth programme is available as a result of GMCA securing funding from the European Social Fund to deliver a three-year programme, working in partnership with businesses and training providers to create new learning opportunities for employed residents in the city-region.

Throughout the programme, GMCA has gathered intelligence from businesses, which has been used to shape new training programmes.

Skills for Growth and Skills Bootcamps have been designed to support employers who have highlighted they cannot find the technical skills in Greater Manchester required to support and grow their businesses. Skills for Growth supports businesses to increase skills levels of employees, while Skills Bootcamps gives employers access to a pool of newly trained individuals.

Individuals can only complete one Skills for Growth course. Applicants are advised to research all the programmes available before applying.

To apply for The Blue Light Academy please visit https://www.seetecoutsource.co.uk/skills-for-growth-blue-light-individuals/

KBF ENTERPRISES REVEALS RECORD GROWTH IN 2022

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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KBF Enterprises®, one of the UK’s largest sports nutrition companies, celebrated exponential growth in 2022, with annual sales increasing by over 60% and exceeding £23 million.

Following the business’s record-breaking year, which also saw its core team grow by 52%, Manchester-based KBF Enterprises has announced aggressive expansion plans for 2023 to cater to the growing demand for sports nutrition products.

These ambitious plans follow a very impressive trading period for the company’s leading protein brand, Warrior®, which saw sales increase by 227%, and record trading end to 2022 following a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign.

After a stellar year where Warrior was named ASDA’s bestselling sports nutrition brand, and its product range hit 700 B&M stores nationwide, data also demonstrates that a Warrior protein bar is now consumed every 2 seconds, with 15 million bars produced each year.

The planned business growth for 2023 includes an expansion of the company’s factory at the headquarters based in Manchester, to enable the company to cater to demand while maintaining a competitive price point.

KBF Enterprises are also set to expand its international offering beyond the current 2,000 locations, which presently includes Singapore, Canada, Taiwan, Israel, and Ireland.

Expected to be the best year to date for KBF Enterprises, 2023 will kickstart with several new products being added to their bestselling range of Warrior protein bars and flapjacks, designed to appeal to its growing customer base of health-conscious individuals and fitness enthusiasts.

“Last year was incredibly successful for all of our brands at KBF Enterprises and we are looking ahead to extending this growth trajectory into 2023 and beyond.” says Founder of KBF Enterprises, Kieran Fisher. “The sports nutrition category is expanding at a phenomenal rate, and we are constantly seeing new trends and innovations emerge.

“Our goal, and what we do well, is to continue developing great tasting, high-quality products that are also good for you. With our entire operation based in the UK, we can meet the increased demand and keep our prices points competitive, which is why for every protein bar sold on shelves by a competitor where we are listed next to them, customers will buy four Warrior protein bars. We are fast becoming the new confectionary.”

The news follows a recent £750,000 investment to support KBF Enterprise’s future growth, provided by NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.

FSB publishes new research around public sector procurement

Business

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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FSB publishes new research around public sector procurement

A new policy paper published by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Greater Manchester has lifted the lid on why so many small firms shy away from delivering public sector contracts.

FSB carried out research across the city region to better understand prevailing attitudes of small business owners towards public sector procurement, and to discover why so few firms see it as an achievable option.

The data, which has now been published in a 14-page policy paper, tells a fascinating story of distrust, misinformation, and perceptions of insurmountable barriers for the smallest firms who would like to work for their local councils, but see it as out of their reach.

The research follows the announcement by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) last March of plans to introduce a raft of changes to public sector procurement processes in 2023. One of the aims of which is to encourage more, smaller, local firms and VCSOs to deliver work for local councils, proven to put more money back in to regional economies than larger businesses do the work instead, meaning benefits for local wealth and job creation.

Commenting on the findings of the paper, FSB’s Development Manager in GM, Robert Downes, said: “Our research highlighted many reasons why smaller firms, in the main, shy well away from delivering contracts for local councils, but there were some consistent stand outs. The chief one is around perceptions, particularly that local councils would sooner give jobs to larger organisations because they think they are safe bets, although history has often shown us otherwise – Carillion springs to mind.

“The actual tender process itself is also seen as a barrier, with many firms saying it’s complicated, time consuming, and consequently out of reach of many smaller businesses, who lack the manpower and the experience just to complete the initial application process on time.

“And the other common complaint from firms who’ve previously ‘had a go’, is that they don’t get any feedback on unsuccessful applications. If you put time and effort into something that you eventually don’t win, you really need and want to know why, without that information how can do better the next time?”

The FSB report goes on to make seven recommendations that might remedy the issues identified, and encourage more firms to consider public sector procurement as an opportunity for growth.

Adds Downes: “Our 14-page report hopefully provides the public sector here in GM with some helpful food for thought. We think there are some simple, quick wins contracting teams could look at doing if they are serious about working more closely with the smaller end of the private sector. And there are some more long-term actions they may want to explore around culture change, and being seen to be fairer when deciding and awarding contracts.

“We’ll be sending our report to all contracting authorities in GM as well as other key decision makers. We know 2023 is going to be tough, and small businesses should be looking at new ways to stay resilient. Public sector procurement should be one of them, but change will be required to the current system for that to happen,” he added.

An international eCommerce localization service has been launched by Manchester agency Bring Digital

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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An international eCommerce localization service has been launched by Manchester agency Bring Digital

Bring Digital, the multi-award-winning performance marketing agency, is supporting the international growth of their artner eCommerce brands through the launch of a new global localisation service.

The Manchester agency has developed the in-house capability and infrastructure to offer eCommerce brands full translation services including subtitling and voice-over in over 200 languages, to support advertising and content marketing expansion across global territories.

The new strategic offering supports the agency’s existing delivery reach globally for brands including Formula One, Cotton Traders, and Beauty Bay.

Speaking on the announcement, Bring Digital CEO Justin Young said “Having seen the continued trend of growing eCommerce demand across international territories, we’ve worked hard to build the infrastructure to offer professionally accredited translation services from native speakers across so many languages.”

“We are delighted to launch this service going into 2023, and we’re looking forward to helping our brand partners extend their reach to a truly global audience.”

This service expansion follows a record year for the central-Manchester-based agency. In 2022, Bring Digital added 10 new digital specialists to the team, as the agency delivered revenues in excess of £4.5m.

Founder of Design By Day, closes agency for new venture

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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Founder of Design By Day, closes agency for new venture

Northern Quarter-based brand and digital agency, Design By Day, has announced its closure after 12 years in operation. Angela Roche, the agency’s founder and creative director, has decided to shut down the business in order to pursue a new solo venture Love & Logic.

Creative Director, Angela Roche, made the decision to close the brand & digital agency, citing a particularly challenging year and a lot of internal soul searching.

Roche explained:

“No-one expects you to close down your own agency, they think you’ve either gone bust or wonder why you didn’t sell it. We didn’t go bust and I’ve never been interested in an ‘exit strategy’. The reality was that 2021 was a real tough year for myself, the team and the company. A perfect storm of events over a 9 month period lead me to re-evaluate my career and make the decision to close the agency.”

Design By Day employed eight team members when it closed its doors. Roche made sure to prioritise the well-being of her team, while also ensuring that all digital clients were transitioned to trusted agencies.

Roche continued:

“I’ve gone full circle, going back to the reason I got into the creative industry in the first place. Being creative. I now have a practice where I fully focus on branding and animation and can truly work closely with purpose-driven clients on projects where I can really add value, by capturing hearts & minds through imagination with heart.”

After a strong 2022, the new year has seen the launch of a new Love & Logic website alongside a host of new and ongoing projects with clients spread across the mental health, non-profits, academia, local authority and tech sectors including the McPin Foundation, Pharmacist Support, University of Oxford, GMCA, Attensi and Manchester Psychedelic Community.

CEO of Manchester-Based PR Agency JBH Shares Importance of Consumer PR During Cost of Living Crisis

Business

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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CEO of Manchester-Based PR Agency JBH Shares Importance of Consumer PR During Cost of Living Crisis

Stop Gifting Growth to Others – CEO of PR Agency JBH Shares Importance of Consumer PR During Cost of Living Crisis

Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, CEO of consumer PR agency JBH says brands need to look to the top of the marketing funnel, alongside the bottom if they want to thrive in 2023.

The warning comes as research from Bloomberg¹ reveals that UK consumer spending is at its lowest since 2008 due to price-conscious shoppers whilst inflation is at a four-year high.

Jane Hunt, CEO of Manchester consumer PR agency JBH explains:

“During difficult financial times, the magnifying glass will be set firmly on brand marketing budgets. It’s understandable, as brands will look to the marketing channels that generate clear ROI and then work their budgets from there.

“PR is one of the channels that often falls to the bottom of the priority list in favour of paid channels. And this is because it’s a brand marketing activity, rather than a direct sales activity that can be turned on or off at the flick of a switch”.

Studies have shown that historically, brands who invest in marketing during a recession outperform those that don’t. In the 2008 recession advertising expenditure dropped by 13%, but statistics revealed 3.5 times more visibility for brands that maintained their output².

“With paid channels, you’re paying for leads or you’re paying for clicks that might not convert – you’re still spending money. With PR, your brand visibility and awareness will continue to increase, long after the campaign or activity has ended.

“Look at it this way, if you stop promoting your consumer brand and your visibility and awareness declines, you’re actually giving that growth to your competition, and that really is a waste of money”.

OakNorth Bank completes first ever Employee Ownership Trust transaction with loan to Manchester-based, Crookes Walker Consulting

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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OakNorth Bank completes first ever Employee Ownership Trust transaction with loan to Manchester-based, Crookes Walker Consulting

Crookes Walker Consulting provides engineering consulting services across several industries, including: residential, commercial, hospitality, education, and infrastructure;
The capital from OakNorth Bank will support the creation of an Employee Ownership Trust – the first transaction of this kind the bank has done since its launch in September 2015;
The founders, Paul Crookes and Dave Walker, will sell 100% of their shareholding into the Trust, but will continue to be involved in the day-to-day running of the business;
Nearly 500 employee ownership trusts were set up in the UK in the 12 months to the end of September – a sharp increase from the 235 established in the previous 12 months.

OakNorth Bank, the bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, has provided a loan to Crookes Walker Consulting (“CWC”) to support the creation of an Employee Ownership Trust.

Founded in Manchester in 2004 by Dave Walker and Paul Crookes, CWC is now one of the largest independent mechanical and electrical engineering consultancies in the North West, with over 50 employees across offices in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. It provides engineering consulting services across a number of sectors, including residential, commercial, hospitality, education, and infrastructure. The key services it provides include building design services, planning support, digital engineering, MEP surveys and energy modelling. Over two thirds of the business’ revenue comes from renovations and existing building refurbishment projects – many of which are being driven by the need for tenanted properties to reach a minimum EPC rating of C by 2025.

The founders, Paul Crookes and Dave Walker, will sell 100% of their shareholding into the Trust, but will continue to be involved in the day-to-day running of the business. The Board of directors will remain unchanged with Chris Skinner as CEO, Andy Ringland as CTO, and Steve Plant as CFO. The Board will work with the Trust to deliver continued growth and development, as well as safeguarding the ethos and core values that underpin the business. The new structure will allow all CWC employees to share in the business’ success, as well as having more influence over the way the business is run.

Paul Crookes and Dave Walker, founders of CWC, commented: “CWC is a knowledge-based business, with a reputation for teamwork and excellence. We are only as good as the people within the practice, and we wanted to ensure that with any succession plan, their future was not just secured but enhanced. Setting up an Employee Ownership Trust with the support of OakNorth Bank is the ideal way to achieve both goals whilst helping to attract and retain the best talent in the industry. The experience with OakNorth was genuinely delightful – fast, flexible, and focused. They may not be the cheapest lender in the market, but the quality of the experience makes the extra cost well worth it.”

Stewart Haworth, Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank, continued: “A record number of companies are setting up employee-ownership trusts as founders look for alternative ways to reward staff and sell their stakes while also benefiting from a tax break. By setting up this Employee Ownership Trust, CWC is providing clear direction and certainty for the business, its employees, and clients, and rewarding its staff for their hard work and dedication over the last 18 years. Between them, Paul and Dave have over 55 years of broad sector experience and have built a strong business which operates on the principles of a personal approach backed up by technical excellence. With more and more properties needing to invest in energy efficiency upgrades over the next few years, CWC is primed for strong future growth – growth that its employees can now benefit from even more.”

OakNorth Bank was introduced to the transaction by accountancy business, Beevers and Struthers.

New Client win allows Manchester PR firm to expand into tech sector

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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New Client win allows Manchester PR firm to expand into tech sector

Sway PR, the Award winning Manchester-based PR agency, has added to its growing list of clients this month by expanding into the tech sector.

The firm, which has garnered an enviable reputation in the travel, sport, health and fitness sectors, has been engaged by document management solutions provider, DocTech.

As DocTech further expands operations, it was looking for a PR agency with trusted regional and national track record to increase awareness and enhance its credibility to help realise it’s growth potential.

With more than 50 years’ collective experience delivering impactful PR campaigns, and new hires from the tech PR sector, Sway PR was chosen to create and deliver DocTech’s PR strategy and share its experts’ combined 75 years of knowledge and experience.

Mark Hayward, founder of Sway PR, said: “We are blessed with a team of very talented professionals that bring experience and success from a range of industries, including the tech market.

“We are therefore delighted to now be working with DocTech, which joins our expanding PR portfolio.”

DocTech’s document management solutions have been used by organisations such as The Woodland Trust, JURA, and York College. It was recently named as a supplier for public sector organisations by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).

Ruban Rajasooriyar, Managing Director at DocTech, said: “Document management has come a long way since the days of a filing cabinet and a desk full of paper.

“Our document management solutions make business processes easier, quicker and more accurate. Invoice data is intelligently extracted, securely stored and can be used to start approval workflows. This functionality can also be applied to HR and compliance processes”

Established in 1984, Greater Manchester based DocTech works with more than 300 clients in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, finance, education and transport.

Sway PR is an award-winning Manchester based PR agency with offices in Leeds and Sheffield.

This year, Sway PR won a bronze award for PR Campaign of the Year at the Creativepool Awards and has been shortlisted as a finalist at The Drum PR Awards in the Travel/Leisure/Tourism/Sports category (result pending).

To find out more, visit www.swaypr.co

D55 targets 35% growth in 2023 following 2022 success

News Desk

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05/01/2023

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D55 targets 35% growth in 2023 following 2022 success

Manchester-based AWS cloud consulting partner D55 is celebrating its most successful year to date, reporting 32% year-on-year growth in 2022, following increased demand for digital transformation projects.

The business says its success is a result of organisations wanting to take a cloud-first approach to their applications to become more agile, scalable and resilient.

Demand for Data Content Hubs rose sharply for D55 in 2022. The application allows businesses to bring together all of its internal and external data sets in order to develop new products and services, and leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

As well as client delivery success, D55 also celebrated a win at the prestigious AWS GameDay World Championship in September 2022, which saw the consultancy beat 300 other AWS partners in the global competition.

As a result of D55’s accomplishments last year, the business is targeting 35% growth in 2023 and will be recruiting up to 10 skilled consultants to keep up with projected demand.

Speaking on D55’s growth and future targets, CEO & Co-founder Jonathan Rothwell said: “We’re immensely pleased with our performance last year. As a company, we’ve continued to build productive relationships with our clients, expanded employee training, boosted profits and further cemented our position as a leading AWS consultancy – not just in Manchester or the UK, but internationally.

“We set solid foundations in 2022 and 2023 is about scaling the business even further. That means making sure our services and expertise stay at the cutting edge of cloud and data transformation, and offering the most comprehensive service possible to our growing list of clients. We can’t wait to see what we can achieve this year.”

D55 is one of theUK’s leading AWS consultancy partners, working with businesses of all sizes to modernise their applications. Its team of technical experts specialise in Cloud Ops, serverless application development, application modernisation, system architecture and system integration – solving real-world business problems using AWS’s suite of solutions.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Manchester, D55 has worked with organisations in a range of sectors, including energy/sustainability, defence, real money gaming, fintech and proptech. To learn more, visit: https://d55.co.uk/

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