New UK Jobs At Tabula Rasa Publisher
Fancy a move to Brighton in a pre-apocalyptic, utopian present?
NCsoft's Geoff Heath: getting funding.
So, the smart Alecs out there among you who think that PC gaming and RPGs are 'dead' or 'dull' can order a large slice of pie - and make it extra humble - as NCsoft in Europe (well, Brighton to be exact) has announced that 100 new jobs are up for grabs.
The company is not being specific about the jobs, merely calling them "high-tech", but nevertheless it's got to be a boost for the UK games industry which has recently been moaning about brain drain to places such as Canada and even Australia.
Korean-based NCsoft set up its Brighton-based European division with three people in September 2004 and now employs 112. It's now planning to move to larger premises with the aid of funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). Yes, funding from a sort of government body for the games industry.
Geoff Heath, NCsoft’s CEO, tells the world, “Brighton is a lively and growing hub for the creative and software sector. Our expansion will stimulate local competition and the exchange of best practice in the region. SEEDA’s support of our investment will help grow the business and keep us and Brighton at the forefront of our industry, both nationally and internationally. We’ll also be in a position to recruit and further develop the very best talent available.”
While this might appear as simply a back-slap for the company, it has larger implications relating to how the United Kingdom's own development community could use local area development in order to retain the talent that is apparently rushing abroad. Seeking funding where it is available appears to be more proactive than expecting central government to fund expansion via tax breaks - and the inherent danger of central government control over the content of games.
Finally, while we're talking about NCsoft, don't forget to check out the latest additions to Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa over here.
The company is not being specific about the jobs, merely calling them "high-tech", but nevertheless it's got to be a boost for the UK games industry which has recently been moaning about brain drain to places such as Canada and even Australia.
Korean-based NCsoft set up its Brighton-based European division with three people in September 2004 and now employs 112. It's now planning to move to larger premises with the aid of funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). Yes, funding from a sort of government body for the games industry.
Geoff Heath, NCsoft’s CEO, tells the world, “Brighton is a lively and growing hub for the creative and software sector. Our expansion will stimulate local competition and the exchange of best practice in the region. SEEDA’s support of our investment will help grow the business and keep us and Brighton at the forefront of our industry, both nationally and internationally. We’ll also be in a position to recruit and further develop the very best talent available.”
While this might appear as simply a back-slap for the company, it has larger implications relating to how the United Kingdom's own development community could use local area development in order to retain the talent that is apparently rushing abroad. Seeking funding where it is available appears to be more proactive than expecting central government to fund expansion via tax breaks - and the inherent danger of central government control over the content of games.
Finally, while we're talking about NCsoft, don't forget to check out the latest additions to Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa over here.
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