Rare Games, a Microsoft Games Studio, has signed the contract to take some of the last remaining space at Digbeth’s latest creative and digital hub, Fazeley Studios.
The move will bring another 90 high value, high technology gaming jobs to the West Midlands - many of which will be for graduates.
Rare searched the UK for its newest site and worked closely with regional development agency Advantage West Midlands to find the perfect premises, in Birmingham.
Rare’s facility will be home to 90 staff working on new Rare games. Starting mainly as a production, test and usability site to accommodate the company’s evolving methodology in game creation, in time, it is expected Rare’s new base will house a world-class usability laboratory.
In announcing the new Rare facility, which opens in April, studio head Mark Betteridge said: “The old way of making games just doesn’t work any more, we need to be much more flexible in how we staff a team and setting up a new facility at Fazeley Studios in Digbeth will help us to do this.
“The support from Advantage West Midlands has been invaluable and helped us to identify and secure a central location surrounded by the type of businesses that will make it a very appealing environment in which to work. The location offers a central urban setting, which is highly accessible and in the digital media hub of Birmingham.
“While we are committed to keeping our headquarters in Twycross, we feel a second studio in a more urban location will be appealing to some staff. Fazeley Studios will be a great adjunct to our main operation.”
Jane Holmes, International Investment Manager at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Rare’s move is fantastic news for the West Midlands, not least because it will bring 90 high technology jobs to the region, along with a major, globally successful company. The move is also great news for our graduates as there will be many exciting career opportunities for highly trained people with the right skills.
“The West Midlands has a long-established video games industry, accounting for one quarter of the UK games workforce. Rare’s arrival will further strengthen the region’s reputation around the world for excellence in computer games.
“In line with the West Midlands Economic Strategy and AVM'aInternational Business Strategy, we are helping inward investors understand the value of setting up in the region - in particular focusing on developing markets with the most wealth and employment potential, and the capacity to compete in the global economy.”
Lucan Gray, who created Fazeley Studios, said: "I am delighted that Rare has chosen Fazeley Studios for its second base. The fact that a Microsoft Games Studio is coming to Digbeth shows how things have moved on in the area in the last couple of years, in spite of the challenging economic background. Our aim is for Digbeth to be the geographic heart of Birmingham’s digital economy. You can’t get much better than Microsoft arriving as a vote of confidence in our ability to deliver that aim.
“Rare and the other companies based here have created hundreds of live end jobs. What attracted Microsoft was the quality and depth of digital talent amongst the other tenants at Fazeley Studios and the very real working community. We now have an amazing cocktail of one of the world’s biggest digital businesses and small and medium sized enterprises mixing and trading together. This is very much the story of the new digital economy - talent is what counts, rather than the size of business.
“We are lucky to have had support from Advantage West Midlands without which the project could not have happened. By investing in the right kind of space and understanding and nurturing the working community within it Digbeth can attract and retain the best businesses and talent for the city. By addressing the specific needs of these businesses Birmingham can compete globally in all things digital and creative, and Rare will be a huge asset in this endeavour."