Nosebleed Interactive
One company making a name for itself in the game industry (and beyond) is Nosebleed Interactive, and their offices are located smack bang in the middle of Newcastle. This multi-award winning independent studio has worked with numerous big names like Sony, Doctor Who and The Disney Channel. With Nosebleed Interactive having numerous accolades including, but not limited to, being named as one of the Top 50 Creative Companies in the UK, winning the PlayStation Mobile Pioneers competition and best small to medium business in the Newcastle Business Awards it is clear they are spearheading game development in the North East and very much deserve our attention. "But what kind of games do they make?" I hear you cry; bloody good ones that's what. Great titles like Arcade Paradise and Vostok Inc just highlight the Geordie charm of this indie company and you'd be doing yourself a discredit to not check them out.
Silent Games
Nosebleed Interactive isn't the only game developer in Newcastle with relative newcomer Silent Games sure to make a splash in the industry very soon. Founded in 2018 by two former Ubisoft developers, Sally Blake and Joseph Rogers, the goal of Silent Games is to build a "Double-A" Studio with a focus on "giving players a sense of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose". With a new IP in development, Silent Games is forward-thinking with multiple games set in the same universe that will feature "asynchronous cooperative multiplayer". The company has strong relations with students and the next generation of developers, hiring both graduates and having plenty of internship opportunities which just goes to show how much of a force to be reckoned with they could be in the future.
Game Dev North East
But what if you aren't interested in joining a company yet? What if you just want to get to know people behind the games of Newcastle. Look no further than Game Dev North East. Hosted monthly, this is the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded people who are in the industry, hoping to break in soon, develop for fun or just like playing games! Open to all levels of experience and across the spectrum of game development with coders, designers, digital artists, musicians and writers all being welcome. Students are no exception so be sure to check this out when you get a chance for a great opportunity to network, share ideas and get to the heart of the art that is game development in the North East.
NUCATS
If you are looking for something even closer to home, look no further than Newcastle University's Computing and Technology Society - NUCATS. While aimed mostly at computing students, NUCATS is open to all with a large range of events from bar crawl and quizzes to 24-hour gameathons and game jams. While talking with this year's President, Jonathan White, about this upcoming year's Game Jam, he said that they "have a game jam scheduled for reading week in January/February" and are currently "on the hunt for sponsors". Not too much more is known at this early date but is sure to be a great opportunity to make your own games, and friends, as well as see some of the other creative minds around Newcastle University! Be sure to keep an eye on both NUCATS and The Courier for more updates
Newcastle can sometimes feel like a big place, but you will always find like-minded people passionate about being creative and making the next best thing. What's stopping you from being one of those people?
