Brighton Recognised as ‘Creative Hub’ for the Video Games Industry

The BBC has described Brighton as the “perfect fit” for the booming video games industry. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited our creative and diverse city by the sea.

Nathan Gouveia, studio head for Electric Square (a MetStudios industry partner), told the BBC that “games and Brighton are kind of a natural fit for each other”, and that the investment that is happening in the city is “going to be brilliant for the future”.

Why Brighton is attracting leading games studios

Brighton has long been known for its inclusive and highly innovative spirit. Creatives from a vast array of disciplines flock to Brighton to live and work, drawn by the strong artistic community and the open, welcoming atmosphere the city offers. Career opportunities for new entrants to the games industry are plentiful, and are set to become even more so as investment pours in for the studios situated in Brighton – and more big names continue to set up shop.

One of these big names is IO Interactive, best known for the Hitman series of games, which opened its first UK studio in Brighton in 2023. The new Brighton studio joins IO Interactive’s international presence in Copenhagen, Malmö, Barcelona, and Istanbul.

“We’ve had this strategy for a while,” said CEO Hakan Abrak. “To meet talent where they are … opening studios where we think the ideal conditions are there, in terms of an attractive location with lots of talent and lots of potential.”

Abrak went on to explain that “Brighton has a bright future in the video games industry. It’s something that will continue to expand. But it does already have a deep existing ecosystem of developers. There are over 22 studios in Brighton, and Creative Assembly is just north of it, and that’s a huge developer.”

Electric Square and IO Interactive’s fellow Brighton studios include Studio Gobo, Team 17, Hangar 13, Boss Alien, Natural Motion, and The Chinese Room. Creative Assembly is based in nearby Horsham, just half an hour outside of Brighton itself.

Creativity, collaboration, and industry-ready education

MetStudios, as a sister school to MetFilm School, benefits from MetFilm’s long history of real industry integration, helping students into serious industry roles and supporting them as they progress.

Students at MetStudios also gain valuable skills and experience in multi-disciplinary collaboration, which is essential in the games industry. MetStudios students work closely with Filmmaking students at MetFilm, as well as student musicians and actors, on projects designed to reflect those they will encounter in their future careers.

As gaming journalist, Will Freeman, told the BBC: “Games, by their very nature, are multi-disciplinary. They bring together musicians, voice actors, performers, artists, animators, and illustrators.” We could not agree more!