Eight leading Scottish games companies are to showcase their
products and expertise to a global audience.
They will leave on 5th April for a two week visit to Japan, one
of the world's biggest and most influential gaming markets, which
will see them meet potential new investors, customers and
commercial contacts.
In Tokyo they will be based at Tunnel Tokyo, a startup incubator
operated by the SEGA Sammy group and venture capital firm Pegasus
Ventures.
They will then showcase their products at a Scottish Government
event focused on gaming at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which
expects to host over 28 million attendees from all over the
world.
The visit has been developed as part of the Scottish Government's
Techscaler programme. Participants range from Blazing Griffin a
Glasgow-based multi-media entertainment company spanning games,
film and post-production, to Dundee based Konglomerate Games and
Edinburgh company GLITCHERS, whose products include games
technology aimed at the healthcare sector,
Speaking during a visit to Blazing Griffin, Business Minister
said:
“Japan is synonymous with gaming technology and, with a market
valued at around $50 billion, it offers phenomenal economic
opportunities for our own, hugely talented Scottish sector.
“Techscaler is about helping entrepreneurs unleash their ability
to innovate, spearheading Scotland's presence in expanding new
markets.
“Techscaler Japan will present some of our most exciting gaming
start-ups with considerable opportunities to unlock further
investment, develop new commercial partnerships and drive and
showcase their businesses on a global stage.”
Blazing Griffin's Co-Head of Games, Justin Alae-Carew said:
"We're incredibly excited to take part in Techscaler's market
visit to Japan. Japan is not only an incredible consumer and
producer of games, but also home to a fantastic array of
multi-media intellectual property (IP). We see huge opportunity
in exploring cross-border partnership with a specific focus on IP
- either Japanese IP coming to the West or Western IP gaining
foothold in Japan.
“The multi-media lens by which Japan views IP is also something
for us to learn from and given our capabilities across film and
games at Blazing Griffin, we're uniquely positioned to take
advantage of the opportunities raised by that approach."
Head of Bridge Programmes at CodeBase, delivery partner of
Techscaler, Ruth Oliver said:
“The companies selected to join the first Japan cohort represent
some of Scotland's most exciting and promising companies from the
gaming sector, and while some are further down the commercial
path than others, what they all have in common is a global
mindset.
“With the opportunity to make valuable industry connections and
gain insights and learnings, the programme offers the companies a
golden chance to win customers and take their business to the
next level in one of the world's most dynamic and important
markets.”
Background
The companies participating in the visit are:
- BearHammer Games (Glasgow), a virtual reality projects and
game developer
- Konglomerate Games (Dundee) develops video game technology
for sectors like healthcare and education.
- Buildstash (Glasgow), which helps game developers manage iOS
and Android apps
- Yaldi Games (Edinburgh) which develops education-focused
software.
- Speech Graphics (Edinburgh) which develops facial animation
technology
- Blazing Griffin (Glasgow) a film and games producer and
post-production developer.
- Wardog Studios (Edinburgh) which develops virtual reality
weapons and vehicles
- GLITCHERS (Edinburgh) a game developer whose titles include a
game used to support dementia research
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai takes place from 13 April to 13 October.
It is an international event at which countries, organisations
and companies showcase innovations, cultural exchanges and
solutions to global challenges. It is expected to attract about
28 million visitors and more than 150 participating
countries.
Scotland's spotlight event on gaming and consumer industries will
be held on 17 April at the UK Pavilion. Scottish Enterprise is
supporting the three events for Scotland at Expo 2025 Osaka,
Kansai is available on SDI's website.
The Scottish Government is investing £42 million in Techscaler.
Nearly 1,000 Scottish
companies are now involved in the programme.
