On Wednesday 29th March, video games professionals, sector experts and industry leaders came together at The Digital Catapult in the heart of the King’s Cross area of London for a unique Community Connect event.
The atmosphere was buzzing as over the course of the day more than 80 delegates had the opportunity to both formally and informally exchange ideas and learn from their peers. Proceedings kicked off as Paul Durrant, Founder and Chief Executive of UK Games Talent and Finance CIC (UKGTF) set the tone by asking the assembled guests to consider if they were “building a game or building a company” – a theme which would resonate across the various talks and activities throughout the day.
Many colleagues from companies which had received funding from the UK Games Fund came along to participate. As well as having the opportunity to share their own experiences, they were able to gain valuable business insight into how to advance professionally with advice in the areas of project finance, publishing and equity deals.
Paul was joined by Matt Ward, Head of Portfolio Development at UKGTF to explain the organisation’s Tal Registry and Smart Contracts system and how it could enhance ways-of-working for up-and-coming organisations.
Delegates learned how the new business framework for creative IP and a blockchain-driven digital IP share registry could delay or possibly remove the need for company formation but allow creative development to proceed equitably.
Paul Hanraets from publisher Gambitious was on hand to give an overview of the different funding and publishing routes that are open to the company – his candid advice on pitching was especially well received.
Games developers Blazing Griffin and Hutch Games both related the story of how they survived and made their way along the road to success, sharing their entrepreneurial experiences.
On top of all this, attendees were able to take the opportunity to immerse themselves in The Digital Catapult’s VR Lab throughout the day. The facility is available for businesses to showcase the latest immersive content in what can only be described as state-of-the-art offices in one of central London’s most prestigious locations. The opportunity to test drive this service was one that was not to be missed.
One of the attendees at Community Connect was artist and designer Bradley Smith from Miracle Tea Studios; a games developer which received funding through the UK Games Talent’s Tranzfuser competition. Bradley said:
“For me as an artist, I sometimes don’t feel I know enough about the business side of things. Today, I’ve attended a talk on tax relief which was really useful. Experiencing Tranzfuser taught me how how to communicate and work well in a team; this event has been an opportunity to continue the learning process and to get the valuable information we need to start a business.”
Paul Durrant said:
“We’ve had a fantastic day and we’ve heard from delegates that they have really enjoyed the peer to peer interactions across the whole community we support. Events like today’s Community Connect are important because everyone gets to see that the challenges and obstacles that they face in reaching their goals are often identical. We’re lucky to be working with so many talented teams and events like this help us set them on the road to building a sustainable company.”