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August 2017 Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol and SW developers, jobs, opportunities and events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina@aurochdigital.com for more information.
To have your news, events and/or job opportunities featured in the monthly newsletter, you can contact jake@aurochdigital.com. The deadline for entries is 10th September.
Summer is here! This means we’re taking a break from the Anti-Socials, which will return on September 28th.
Games Hub News
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Dev Scene News
Anti-Socials returning next month, slots open for talks!
The BGH Anti-Socials are back in September after a long summer off, and we have multiple slots available for talks and showcases. If you’d be interested in bringing something along, be it a project you’re working on, a new piece of technology you’re utilising, or anything else related to the industry, send an email to nina@aurochdigital.com to organise a date.
Auroch Digital
Two of our games, Chainsaw Warrior and Chainsaw Warrior: Lords of the Night, were featured in the fantastic Games Workshop-themed ‘Skulls for the Skull Throne’ event on Steam, which went really well and gained the games a lot of exposure.
Gen Con 2017 runs from August 17th-20th, and the legendary Steve Jackson Games will have a stand there featuring, among other exciting stuff, our adaptation of their classic tactical wargame, Ogre! We’ll have lots to show off from this event so keep your eyes peeled. Steve Jackson also published an update on the adaptation on his Daily Illuminator blog, which you can check out here!
Jobs and Opportunities
Reach Robotics – Unity Developer and iOS Developer
Looking for 2 experienced contractors at Reach Robotics to work on their gaming robots ASAP. There are two roles posted;
– Unity Developer: https://goo.gl/k9qLrz
– iOS Developer: https://goo.gl/b7r2rH
Ignite – Investment Opportunity
The Ignite team are in Bristol and Bath on 15th Aug to run office hours in the EngineShed. It’s a chance for companies to learn more about what Ignite offers, and receive advice on funding, hiring, scaling, or anything start-up related. Book here (if full, email wil@ignite.io and he’ll try to make space).
They have also opened applications to companies from Wales and the South West. Link to the application form is on their website.
Aardman Animations – Unity Developer and Maya 3D Artist
Aardman Interactive are looking for a Unity developer to create an app for iOS and Android that encourages users to search for and photograph specific objects. We are ideally looking for someone that can work in house from late September to mid December. If you are interested please contact Hannah.jones@aardman.com for more information on the brief.
Aardman are also looking for a Maya 3D Artist to help support our existing design team. This person would be building 3D assets for our game environment and helping to develop a pipeline between design and development. Initially we are looking for someone for 2 weeks in September. If you are interested please contact Hannah.jones@aardman.com for more information on the brief.
Events Diary
BGH Bi-Monthly Board Game Night (7.30pm 15th August@ PM Studio)
We’ll be playing table top and card games such as Netrunner, Ogre, Blood Bowl, Pandemic and more! Come along to meet fellow gamers and developers, build your network and most importantly, have fun!
Tickets for this event have all gone but if there’s enough of a demand, we can potentially bump the numbers up. To register your interest, let jake@aurochdigital.com know 🙂
Jack Bevan-Davies – My First Year (6pm 14th August @ The Arcade Vaults, Cardiff)
For this free talk, Jack Bevan-Davies of Duel Fuel Games Ltd talks about how his first year has been and everything he learned from Tranzfuser, to his first paid contract, to then opening a company.
Please note that you will need to arrive before 6pm to be let in!
Quick Links
- Thread! (Why diversity matters…)
- Team17: Digital storefronts need a radical rethinking
- VR growth steady as she goes – HTC
- Nintendo is killing it on mobile
Thanks all!
July 2017 Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina at aurochdigital.com for more information.
To have your news, events and/or job opportunities featured in the monthly newsletter, you can contact jake@aurochdigital.com. The deadline for entries is 10th August.
Summer is here! This means we’re taking a break from the Anti-Socials, which will return in September.
Games Hub News
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Dev Scene News
Opposable Games
VR World Congress won the Totally Killing it Award at The SPARKies last month, an accolade the team are hugely proud of after putting in so much work over the last three years. If you didn’t get to the event, don’t worry; Opposable have now put the majority of the talks live on the VRWC YouTube Channel (there are some that are sadly not allowed to go out to the masses – more reasons to attend in person!).
Alongside the talks Opposable have published an absolutely stonking wrap-up video featuring some beautiful hyperlapse shots of Bristol, make sure you give it a watch!
Auroch Digital
What a fantastic month we’ve had! We were nominated for a Sparkies Award from TechSPARK in the ‘Best Place to Work in Tech’ category! While we didn’t win, our fantastic friends over at Edo did, and we had a wonderful night.
We’ve also been included in Games Workshop’s ‘Skulls for the Skull Throne’ sale, with Chainsaw Warrior and the sequel Lords of the Night both discounted by 75%! We’ve also added a set of new achievements to both games and Lords of the Night has a brand-new weapon to unlock. Check out the savings here.
We’ve also begun advertising a fantastic opportunity to join our team at Auroch! We’re looking to hire a Games Designer with demonstrable experience to lead a design team on an exciting, as-yet-unannounced strategy game project. More details can be found in the Jobs and Opportunities section below.
Ndemic Creations
This week sees the release of the first major update for the Scenario Creator on mobile, which has proved really popular thus far with core and casual players alike. We’ve also just closed the entries on our board game-themed Scenario Creator competition, so should be plucking out a winner for that fairly soon.
Speaking of board games, we’ve got a second production run of Plague Inc: The Board Game well under way ready to land at the tail end of summer. Just in time to replenish our fast dwindling supply!
We’ve also published the first part of a new blog series, ‘A vivisection of Plague Inc: The Board Game’. In it we detail the lessons learned from Kickstarting the game, so do take a look if you’ve a project on the horizon!
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1804370/insights-plague-inc-board-game-kickstarter
Nathan Hook
The Bristol-based game designer and academic has published his next card game. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a card game of trading and loan taking. It’s his next Shakespeare-themed card game, following on from Midsummer. It’s available internationally from here.
Jobs & Opportunities
SGS College – Full and part time lecturer positions available
SGS college are looking for part and full time game design lecturer positions in Bristol (Filton) and Stroud. Interested in outgoing people who can do any combination of the following: Unreal Engine 4, 3D modelling & animation (pref. Maya), game audio, concept art, pixel art. More info can be found on their Jobs and Vacancies page.
Auroch Digital – Games Designer
We’re currently looking to add a new Designer to our award-winning team, leading the design on an exciting, long-term, currently unannounced strategy game project. More information can be found on our Jobs page.
Events Diary
BBC ‘Game Play to Learn’ Commissioning Event (July 27th at Media City UK, Salford)
BBC Learning have arranged a ‘Game Play to Learn’ event in Salford on Thur July 27. We are looking for teams to come and find out more about our commissioning objectives for young people and to then pitch for a share of some development cash.
Teams can sign up here.
GDWC 2017 (Ongoing, but deadline is Sept 30th)
The largest game dev contest on earth. Participation to GDWC is a great opportunity to gain global visibility and connections. The contest has two categories, pro and hobby, depending on the level of the developer. Both categories are open for games from all platforms.
Bristol Games Hub Bi-Monthly Board Game Night (7pm on Aug 15th at PM Studio)
We’ll be playing table top & card games such as Netrunner, Ogre, Blood Bowl, Pandemic and more! Come along to meet fellow gamers and developers, build your network and most importantly, have fun!
Tickets are available on Eventbrite. The event is free and will be on every other month.
Quick Links
- Looking at SteamSpy data to try and predict success on Steam
- Video games & the social contract (video)
- Superhero games show how the industry has changed
- E3 2017 press conferences were a contrast between heart and cash
- Games as biography
- Is high-end VR over?
There is some more info about these links here.
May 2017 Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached, so you can get on with creating amazing games! Contact jake at aurochdigital.com for more information.
Jake can also be contacted regarding including news items in the next newsletter, the deadline for which is 10th June.
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 25th May, 7.30pm
Join us for some great talks! This month we’ve got:
Matt Walker – Red Panda Audio
Red Panda Audio’s Matt Walker talks us through his experiences designing sound for games – complete with ukelele!
So join us then! We’re at 77 Stokes Croft on the 3rd Floor. The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above MeatLiquor.
Games Hub News
BAFTA Breakthrough Brits Applications Open
For five years BAFTA has been running a mentoring programme to support burgeoning dev talent in the British video games sector. Applications for the 2017 programme are currently open and will close on May 30th.
Successful applicants (of which there are 20 each year across videogames, TV and film) receive a bespoke programme of career development support, including one-to-one mentoring, guidance sessions and networking opportunities, as well as free access to BAFTA events for 12 months.
To qualify applicants must have a professional credit on a piece of work released in the UK between August 2016 and August 2017, and reside in the UK. Applicants should be over 18, and there’s no upper age limit. Small teams may apply, though each team member must complete the application process individually.
It’s easy to apply or find out more: http://www.bafta.org/supporting-talent/breakthrough-brits/apply-now-to-breakthrough-brits
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happyto have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Monthly Indie Spotlight
Cole Jefferies
I’m Cole, a one-person indie dev who makes games under the banner of ColePowered games. I recently moved to Bristol after living for a while in Gloucestershire and Cardiff, so I decided to join the Games Hub – really loving it so far! I haven’t done any high profile games, but Concrete Jungle is probably the one you’re most likely to have heard of – a city-building puzzle game.
I’m currently working on a brand new project that involves managing a detective department, and catching a generated criminal/crime syndicate. Basically it’s a procedurally-generated police procedural. I’m drawing inspiration from 90s management/strategy games of old, as well as recent indie games such as ‘Orwell’ and ‘This is the Police’ that touch on similar themes. It’s super early days, so I don’t have much to show at the moment (the only graphical asset right now is a corkboard texture), but I’m hoping this project will turn into something interesting. See you around!
Dev Scene News
Opposable Games
Opposable VR are busy beavering away preparing for the opening of the Bristol VR Lab later this year. They’ve also recently posted official VR World Congress photos on the event’s Facebook page! There are some absolute beauties in there so do go check them out and getting tagging yourselves and your colleagues if you were at the event, or simply have a scroll through!
Tuesday pics
Wednesday pics
Thursday pics
A huge thanks to Scott Salt and his photography team for doing such an excellent job! Videos of the talks are coming soon!
Auroch Digital
We’ve had lots of exciting steps forward in our development of Dark Future: Blood Red States and Ogre. We’ve also met with investors to pitch ideas for our future projects, which was all really positive and we’ll hopefully have more to share on that soon!
Both Chainsaw Warrior titles are on sale at 50% and 60% off respectively in the Humble Store Spring Sale.
You can also check out the three new Dark Future screenshots on the Steam page and wishlist the game now to be kept up to date with developments.
Ndemic Creations
After its launch last month in the USA and UK, Plague Inc: The Board Game is now available in Canada, and is going down really well both online and in brick and mortar stores across the country. We’re also in the process of planning out a second manufacturing run and have our sights set on localised versions for European fans.
We’re celebrating both the board game launch and the arrival of the Plague Inc: Scenario Creator for mobile with a community competition this month, asking players to create scenarios based on the theme “Board Games”. Winners will be picked in August, so look forward to some interesting fan creations!
We’ve also seen one more addition to the team, bringing us up to a full roster of seven in Office Zero!
Jobs & Opportunities
Complete Control – Senior HTML5 Developer
Complete Control is a double BAFTA award winning children’s entertainment and games agency, located in a beautiful studio just outside of Bath. We are a small team of 17 that produce digital content for the best loved children’s brands across the BBC, Cartoon Network, LEGO, Nickelodeon, Penguin Books and many more great clients. More info at https://www.completecontrol.co.uk/job/senior-html5-games-developer/
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations are in the hunt for animators exprienced in using Motion Builder. For more information email george.rowe@aardman.com
Events Diary
Ocean Games Jam (May 20th-21st)
The weekend of May 20th-21st sees Noize Fabrik in Berlin host the Ocean Games Jam. The two-day event will bring together game developers, scientists and journalists to develop new playful ways to tackle environmental issues associated with the oceans such as pollution, overfishing and resource exploitation. Participants should register their interest on the website here. Flights and one night’s hotel accommodation will be paid for the first 8 UK-based participants who register their interest!
Unity Group May Meet Up – Pervasive Media Studio (May 18th)
Hi everyone. We had a great time at the PM Studio last time and we’re very grateful that we’re able to host this month’s meetup there again.
Thomas Greener, a developer at Atkins and former developer at Opposable Games will be leading the main talk. He’s developed his own asset for the Unity Asset Store and will detail how he developed that from concept to finished product and detail the other challenges of marketing and supporting his asset.
Quick Links
- How to survive as a solo game dev http://www.sizefivegames.com/2017/05/04/how-to-survive-as-a-solo-dev-for-like-a-decade-or-so/
- SEGA’s plan to go huge on PC http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-04-12-sega-had-a-plan-to-quietly-become-a-powerhouse-in-pc-publishing
- Games mobile revenue grows (again) https://venturebeat.com/2017/04/13/worldwide-mobile-game-revenue-grew-53-to-11-9-billion-in-q1/
- Get into Games for Good! http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-05-10-gamesaid-launches-digital-for-good-fundraising-initiative
Thanks all!
April Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina at aurochdigital.com for more information.
Nina can also be contacted regarding including news items in the next newsletter, the deadline for which is 10th May.
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 27th April, 7.30pm
Join us then! More details to come soon.
Games Hub News
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happyto have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page – Find roles and post new openings here…
Monthly Indie Spotlight
Vulpo Byte
Bath-based indie game dev, Szymon Lis, presents his science-inspired game, Mr. Gansy: Quantum Jump, which will take you to the unseen world of semiconductor physics and quantum mechanics, available now for free on Google Play.
So join Mr. Gansy, a nanoscale light emitting diode, in his adventures travelling through a semiconductor’s crystal growth reactor and save the nanoworld!
Don’t forget to visit the Mr. Gansy page and learn more about the game and about science from funny cartoons.
Dev Scene News
Ndemic Creations
This month we’ve launched the Shadow Plague update across both PS4 and Xbox One versions of Plague Inc: Evolved and we’re also about to launch the standalone Scenario Creator app for mobile. Plague Inc: The Board Game has also just gone out into retail in the UK and US. Early reviews have been spectacular (4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon), so lots to celebrate!
Aside from these updates and releases, it is an exciting time for us as a company as we are in the process of expanding the team with new hires across multiple areas. A trip to Ikea for furniture will be needed soon!
Opposable Games
Opposable VR are recovering from their massive three day event VR World Congress, which took place in Bristol’s harbourside in At-Bristol, Millennium Square and the Watershed. Hosting more than 100 speakers, 34 exhibitors, an investor showcase, workshops and after parties, the event was a huge success.
Thanks to everybody that came along, helped us spread the word or indeed got involved!
Coverage came from more than 100 publications and radio/TV shows including Points West, BBC Click, Bloomberg, UploadVR, MCV and a whole host of others. Sign up to the VR World Congress/Opposable VR newsletter for links to the conference’s talks, pictures and news coverage.
You’d think we might be relaxing now but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Plans are already being made for the next event and we’ve got the Bristol VR Lab to work on – a co-working space opening this year that we announced at VRWC!
Auroch Digital
Work is progressing very well on Dark Future: Blood Red States, our adaptation of the Games Workshop cult-classic board game, and we’re making significant strides forward with another classic board game adaptation, Steve Jackson Games’s Ogre.
Producer Peter Willington has also written a guest article for TechSpark, featuring a selection of the most exciting games coming out of Bristol and the surrounding area. Look out for games from Hub residents Ground Shatter, Auroch Digital, Out of Bounds Games, Meteor Pixel and more!
Events Diary
Meet and Greet with Curve Digital’s John Vega – May 10th @ Bristol Games Hub
John Vega, Business Development Manager at Curve Digital (http://curve-digital.com/) is visiting the Bristol Games Hub on the afternoon of May 10th and is looking to talk to local developers about what they are working on and check out what’s happening in the local development scene.
Curve Digital is one of the largest and most successful indie games publishers on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One with released titles including 10 Second Ninja X, Human Fall Flat, and Thomas Was Alone. If you are currently working on a title that would be a good fit for PC/Console release and are considering a fully-published route to market, then please email james@groundshatter.com with details for your studio and the game (or games) that you are looking to pitch, they will be passed onto Curve, and meeting slots will then be assigned to selected studios.
Game Sound/Next Gen – April 27th @ Arnolfini
Game Sound / Next Gen is a symposium event exploring the world of audio in games, apps and other forms of nonlinear media.
You will have the opportunity to get hands on with 3 cutting-edge interactive audio/VR projects from the MSound (Games and Apps) 3rd-year degree students at dBs Bristol.
More info can be found at https://www.gsng.co.uk/
Bristol Games Hub Anti-Social – April 27th @ Bristol Games Hub
Join us then! More details to come soon.
Quick Links
- Your Target Audience Does Not Exist
- Where Indie expermimentalism came from
- Epic moves to Games-as-service
- “The bar continues to go up”
- Why are mobile games invisible in games media?
- Steam has a massive new competitor
- Curation of this week’s top video game development articles
Thanks all!
March Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina at aurochdigital.com for more information.
To have your news items included in the next newsletter, please send them to jake at aurochdigital.com, the deadline for which is 10th April.
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 30th March, 7:30pm
This month we’ve got:
James and Jamie from Keymailer – “5 Ways to Up Your Game in YouTube & Twitch”
Alex Tutty from Sheridans Law Firm – An Introduction to legal issues in games and media, things to look out for and how to not get stung.
So join us then! We’re at 77 Stokes Croft on the 3rd Floor. The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above MEATLiquor.
Games Hub News
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page
Find roles and post new openings here…
Monthly Indie Spotlight
Opposable Group
The history of Opposable Games stretches all the way back to the origins of the Bristol Games Hub – with our CEO Ben Trewhella setting up the Hub along with Tomas and Debbie Rawlings from Auroch Digital.
Before and during that time, Opposable Games was focused on creating brilliant and inventive games that often involved new and interesting technology.
When the early prototypes of the Oculus Rift VR headset began to circulate in 2014, Ben felt that VR and AR would grow into a multi-industry technology, so created sister company Opposable VR, under the Opposable Group, to work with technology companies explore how VR could be used in their business.
From there Opposable VR has continued to grow as one of the UK’s top VR companies, working for clients such as Cartoon Network, IBM, AT&T and many more. We’ve also released our own VR strategy game Salvaged to Steam Early Access!
Of course, VR World Congress has become an integral part of our DNA, evolving from a small regional meetup to one of the world’s biggest VR events.
With Opposable’s involvement in VR & AR research and community development becoming increasingly prominent, we’re now on the verge of setting up the Bristol VR Lab – set to launch in September of 2017!
Dev Scene News
The City of Games
The City of Games (Park Street) are pleased to be launching The City of Kings board game on Kickstarter on the 28th March at 4pm.
Having received high praise from Rahdo, Man vs Meeple and other industry personalities we are expecting a fantastic first day and hope you can join us for our virtual launch party.
Opposable Group
Get a 20% discount on VR World Congress 2017 tickets!
VR World Congress is just a few weeks away and we’d love to see as many Hub folks and followers head to the conference as possible! As such, we want to give you an opportunity to grab VRWC tickets for a sizeable discount. We’re offering 20% off the price of any ticket, from full three day passes to single day expo tickets, specifically for Hub associates.
To get your discount, head over to the VR World Congress website, see our huge speaker and expo lineups, and grab a 20% discounted ticket using the code BGH20.
It’s important to note, however, that there are a very limited number of these discount codes available, so you’d better grab your ticket soon if you’re hoping to attend!
Auroch Digital
We’ve been working hard on our Games Workshop adaptation Dark Future: Blood Red States, using the models from the original tabletop game to nail down some of the finer points of our RealTimeShift strategy and action gameplay. We’re also thrilled to be invited to London Book Fair to demonstrate our innovative interactive documentary VR project based on Jack the Ripper. The response was great, and we’ll have more to share on this soon!
Jobs & Opportunities
Aardman Animations – Artists and Animators
Aardman Animations are putting a call out for GAMES 3D modellers and texturers, and animators with excellent experience in Unity to get in touch, with a fantastic opportunity to work on a beautiful indie game. If you are interested please email george.rowe@aardman.com
VocTech Seed Funding
UFI are about to launch a call for their VocTech Seed Fund. They will be offering up to £50,000 for projects lasting up to 12 months, and are looking for innovative ideas for using tech for vocational learning. For more information and how to apply, click here.
Plus… South West Games Dev Jobs
There is a Facebook group for devs to post opportunities; South West Games Dev Jobs. It’s for companies seeking new people, freelancers and the like. It’s free to use but please don’t use it to ask for work. Currently it has opportunities from Aardman, Rendermedia and PQube.
Events Diary
The City of Kings Virtual Launch Party (28th March)
Click here for full details and to RSVP.
Anti-Social (30th March)
See above for full details.
Grrrl Gamers (4th April)
The Grrrl Gamers monthly meetup, for more info or to RSVP click here.
Bristol Unreal Developers Meetup – Setting yourself up for a good time (5th April)
This month, continuing the ‘production process’ theme, we’re going to be discussing how you can structure your project and use best practices to ensure that you give yourself and your project the best chance you can.
For more info or to RSVP, click here.
Quick Links
- Surviving as a dev without getting a hit!
- Collectable Games Market is worth $1.4 billion.
- The fallen price of indie games.
- Steam is making it harder to see new releases.
- Playing with toys while people are dying.
Thanks all!
February Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina at aurochdigital.com for more information.
Nina can also be contacted regarding including news items in the next newsletter, the deadline for which is 10th March.
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 23rd February, 7:30pm
This month we’ve got:
Open Dev Night – This month’s Anti-Social will be a social-focused gathering, where anyone is free to show something they’re working on, raise a topic for discussion, or just come along and hang out with like-minded people in the industry.
So join us then! We’re at 77 Stokes Croft on the 3rd Floor. The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above MEATLiquor.
Games Hub News
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page
Find roles and post new openings here…
Dev Scene News
Opposable Group
We’re currently on the look out for volunteers to be part of the UK’s biggest conference and expo about the world of virtual reality! Gain some valuable experience and network with some of the most important players in the industry. For just four hours of your time, you’ll be offered a free full day ticket for VR World Congress 2017.
Volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the brightest minds in the VR industry and learn about the present and the future of VR – especially if you’re a little strapped for cash!
Expect to meet exhibitors, speakers, buyers, sellers and professionals in VR gamesdevelopment, TV and film, 360° film making, augmented reality, architectural visualisation, medicine, engineering and beyond.
We have a variety of roles in various areas of the conference, so if you are interested in lending a hand and want to support us then please visit our site or this form to find out more.
If you would like any further information about the roles then please do not hesitate to contact Sarah, the operations director, on sarah.keates@opposablegroup.com
Auroch Digital
Our physical card game, Elections of US America Election: The Card Game, was reviewed by The Guardian, noting that the game was “intelligently written and sometimes cuttingly cynical, [the game] brings a refreshing levity to the serious mood around global politics”. Plus Games Workshop fans keeping an eye on Dark Future: Blood Red States will have spotted that there was more info about the game in White Dwarf recently!
Jobs & Opportunities
Harmonia Technologies – App and Game Developers
Harmonia Technologies are offering a great opportunity to be involved in the design of a gaming app specifically tailored to help stroke survivors recover in a fun and interactive form. As a start-up company, this will be our flagship product. At this stage, our main focus is on developing an attractive minimal viable product.
From this opportunity, you will gain a great amount of experience and have the opportunity to really get creative with our idea to make it your own. We will also be offering sweat shares as payment. Not to mention we hope to develop more apps in the future that you may have to opportunity to be involved in.
Our company is made up of four Biochemistry students. We’re really excited about this idea and want to find someone just as enthusiastic to help make it a reality.
For more information, please feel free to email us at: sophie.duffell@harmoniatechnologies.com
Rendermedia – Unity Developer and Games Artist
Rendermedia are looking for Unity Developers and Game Artists to join their team, building engaging and beautiful VR and AR experiences. For more information, click on the following links:
Spectrum48 – Unity Developer
Spectrum48, based in Bristol Games Hub, are looking for a Unity Developer to help with a mobile game project. The contract is initially 4-8 weeks. For more information, click here.
Reach Robotics – Various Roles
Reach Robotics still have 17 vacancies they are recruiting for, including; artists, animators and engineers. For the full list and how to apply, click here.
Plus… South West Games Dev Jobs
There is a Facebook group for devs to post opportunities; South West Games Dev Jobs. It’s for companies seeking new people, freelancers and the like. It’s free to use but please don’t use it to ask for work. Currently it has opportunities from GameDebate, Rendermedia and PQube.
Events Diary
Unity Meetup (22nd February)
Click here for full details and to RSVP.
Anti-Social (23rd February)
See above for full details.
Scaling Up Inclusively – Minding the Gap (24th February)
A free event at The Engine Shed, looking at how enterprises can thrive and ‘scale up’. Members of the panel includes The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, and Helen Simpson – Professor of Economics at UWE. For more info or to register for a ticket, click here.
#GAconf (27th February)
Advancing accessibility for gamers with disabilities – San Francisco, click here for more info.
Grrrl Gamers (7th March)
The Grrrl Gamers monthly meetup, for more info or to RSVP click here.
Thanks all!
January Newsletter
All the latest updates from the Hub, news from Bristol & SW developers, jobs, opportunities & events.
Bristol Games Hub is a non-profit space for games and play. We run this newsletter, host events, and also rent desk space at cost price with no strings attached so you can get on with creating amazing games. Contact nina at aurochdigital.com for more information.
Nina can also be contacted regarding including news items in the next newsletter, the deadline for which is 10th February.
Next Games Hub Anti-Social: 26th January, 7:30pm
This month we’ve got:
Mega Dev Quiz 2017 – The annual Mega Dev Quiz is back! Come along and test your knowledge, as a team or team up when you get here.
So join us then! We’re at 77 Stokes Croft on the 3rd Floor. The entrance is off Thomas Street, just up from the junction of Thomas St/Stokes Croft, above MEATLiquor.
Games Hub News
Global Games Jam 2017
3 days and counting until we kick off GGJ17. We’re very excited to be hosting a site again this year at the PM Studios in the Watershed. With only 6 tickets left out of 40 you need to get your skates on if you want to come along! Tickets can be found here and for all the details for the venue, timings etc. please go to the Global Game Jam site page.
SW Freelancer/Company Dev Directory
If you’re looking for people to help on a project, or you are available for work – put your details in. Please only list info you’re happy to have in the public domain: http://bit.ly/bghdirectory
SW Game Dev Jobs Facebook page
Find roles and post new openings here…
Monthly Indie Spotlight
Ground Shatter
Initially a one-man powerhouse of PC and console development, Ground Shatter released SkyScrappers (Steam/PlayStation 4) and Black & White Bushido (Steam) in late 2015, and has subsequently rattled out console ports of fiendish puzzle platformer Binaries (out now), classic musical puzzler Chime Sharp (out soon), and the long-awaited console versions of Black & White Bushido (out eventually).
Ground Shatter has recently expanded to three people and expanded its ambitions accordingly. Now working on a buddy-cop themed first-person shooter, the currently-unnamed game is due for Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview release in the summer. The company is currently looking to enlarge yet further – so see the posting in the jobs section for more details.
Dev Scene News
Brexit and the Games Industry
Over the next three month’s Ukie are touring the country with its Brexit Roundtables. They want to hear from game businesses about their post-referendum concerns and examine opportunities for providing more support for the sector.
On the 31st January, they will be holding the Bristol event at the Watershed. This is a great opportunity to be heard on behalf of the UK Games Industry. For full details and to register for your place, please click here.
Opposable Group
VR World Congress 2017 is now officially THIS year! It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many time we would call it ‘this year’s conference’ back in 2016…
Anyway, plans for VRWC17 are still full steam ahead, with a host of new speakers announced at the tail end of last year. This includes a special talk from Microsoft concerning HoloLens – something we know many developers will be keen to learn more about!
We’ll also be announcing a fair few more talks and exhibitors very soon that we hope will catch the eye of local developers, so keep a lookout on our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter for those announcements.
Ndemic Creations Ltd
This month amongst other things, we finally got the office all set up after our recent move from London to Bristol, finished shipping Plague Inc: The Board Game to Kickstarter backers and prepped the Shadow Plague update for XB1 and PS4. We also did Locked in a Room (Invisibility Gene) for our Christmas party – highly recommend it!
We are looking to hire a number of people (permanent and freelance) to work on Plague Inc. and other projects – check out the jobs page here: http://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/19-careers
Auroch Digital
After a well-deserved break we’re back hard at work on all our projects, including Dark Future: Blood Red States with Games Workshop, Ogre with Steve Jackson Games, and some more titles we’ll be telling you all about in the coming year. In the meantime, it’s not too late to prepare yourself for the upcoming US presidential inauguration with a copy of our critically acclaimed Elections of US America Election: The Card Game.
Jobs & Opportunities
Ndemic Creations/Plague Inc – Various Roles
Ndemic Creations is the creator of Plague Inc., one of the most successful paid mobile games ever with over 85 million players worldwide. It was recently recognised by the Sunday Times as one of the fastest growing tech companies in the country.
We have recently moved to Bristol and are hiring across multiple areas including:
- Graphics
- Programming
- Community Management.
More information and application details here: http://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/19-careers
Ground Shatter – Communications and Marketing Assistant
Ground Shatter are looking for someone to help handle our marketing, comms, and community management on a full-time basis. Would suit a recent marketing graduate with a love of games, a journalist looking to move into the heady world of dev, someone with social media and streaming presence looking for an expanded challenge, or YOU, if you think you fit the bill.
For more details, click here.
Auroch Digital – Games Designer
Auroch Digital is looking for an experienced Game Designer who has demonstrable experience leading the design on a selection of commercial projects. An attractive salary for the right candidate who has worked with Unity (and preferably other engines too!) and ideally will be a fan of turn-based strategy games.
For more information or to apply please send a covering letter and CV to nina(at)aurochdigital.com
Plus… South West Games Dev Jobs
There is a Facebook group for devs to post opportunities; South West Games Dev Jobs. It’s for companies seeking new people, freelancers and the like. It’s free to use but please don’t use it to ask for work. Currently it has opportunities from Game Debate, Rendermedia and PQube.
Events Diary
Global Games Jam (20th – 22nd January)
See above for more details.
Antisocial (26th January)
See above for full details or RSVP on the meetup page.
Brexit Roundtable – Bristol (31st January)
See above for details.
Grrrl Gamers (7th February)
The Grrrl Gamers monthly meetup, for more info or to RSVP click here.
Scaling Up Inclusively – Minding the Gap (24th February)
A free event at The Engine Shed, looking at how enterprises can thrive and ‘scale up’. Members of the panel includes The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, and Helen Simpson – Professor of Economics at UWE. For more info or to register for a ticket, click here.
#GAconf (27th February)
Advancing accessibility for gamers with disabilities – San Francisco, click here for more info.
Thanks all!
