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At Barclays, we’re playing our part to help the UK Games Industry grow and develop.
We see the positive impact that games can have in bringing communities together, inspiring creativity and building an environment to learn.
Ukie Hub Crawl 2021
2021 will see us kick off the annual Ukie Hub Crawl. This is a hugely successful annual activity that normally sees Ukie, and an array of experts, visit up to 15 key locations around the UK to support games businesses on a specific topic.
In 2021, with the event going virtual gives us an amazing opportunity to deliver 12 different and unique events in the Hub Crawl, which will aim to cover the entire life cycle of a games business; from incorporation, growing a team, middleware, running the studio, pitching to funders, getting PR exposure – right through to eventually exiting a business.
Games Innovation Challenge 2021
We have joined up with NSE (National Student Esports) to sponsor their first Games Innovation Challenge to students across the UK
This 9 week competition will see teams of students complete to create an innovative playable game within the theme of “Competition”. As well as making the games the teams will be asked to provide plans of how their game could be run as a competitive event/tournament.
The entries will be judged by an panel of leading industry experts from across the games and esports industry, with the opportunity to win a share of the £5000 prize pool.
What we're doing
Esports
As part of our work in supporting the games industry, we’re partnering with world-class UK esports professionals to help, develop and grow the sport.
Meet the industry
We have created a series of articles and videos working with our partners and ecosystem to help you grow your business.
Resource hub
Have you missed an event we ran? Check out our resource hub to find recordings of each of our events for playback at a later date.
Products and services
Whether it’s a short term cashflow challenge, or a tax credit loan aligned to assist with video game development, we’re on hand to help.
Events
Barclays have joined forces with our partners to pull together an impressive calendar of free, virtual events.
UKIE Hub Crawl 2021
Wednesday 13 Jan - Wednesday 31 March, 16:00 - 18:00
In 2021, we've partnered with UKIE to deliver you the UKIE Hub Crawl - a series of virtual talks every Wednesday for the next 12 weeks. These 12 uniques events will aim to cover the entire life cycle of a games business; from incorporation, growing a team, middleware, running the studio, pitching to funders, getting PR exposure – right through to eventually exiting a business.
Global Game Jam 2021
Friday 29 Jan, 17:00 - Sunday 31 Jan, 17:00
Game Dev London is presenting its first Global Game Jam, hosted inside our Discord community and open for anyone to submit! We welcome all developers and game makers to join us for 48 hours of creativity as we take a break from our day to day work and make some wonderful games and play things for everyone to experience!
Yorkshire Games Festival 2021
Friday 05 Feb, 10:30
Yorkshire Games Festival celebrates games culture, design and production with special guests, workshops, master classes, and fun-packed activities for gamers of all ages.
We’re pleased to announce this year’s Game Talks Online programme—explore the events below, and check back in the new year for more Yorkshire Games Festival content!
Resource Hub
Miss an event we ran? You’ll find recordings of all our events on our resource hub.
How Creative Assembly gets kids interested in video game careers
January, 2021
Starting out in the games industry can be tough, but Creative Assembly’s Legacy Project is here to help, providing secondary schools with the information and resources needed to inspire students to chase their aspirations. We get the inside scoop from Head of Talent Emma Smith.
School of Code: Boot Camp
January, 2021
The School of Code, founded by Chris Mears aims to unlock opportunities for all marginalised communities.
Winter Wrap-Up Games: The Survivalists
January, 2021
We continue to stay warm with our Winter #WrapUp, as we spoke to Emma Bates, producer of The Survivalists, an adventure game set in a tropical desert island.
Winter Wrap-Up Games: PHOGS!
January, 2021
Our Winter #WrapUp continues, as we get the lowdown from publishers Coatsink and about PHOGS!
Partnering with games industry experts from the grassroots up
We’re partnering with best-in-class industry bodies to bring new events, workshops and solutions. Supporting the UK games and esports industries to develop their skills and connect with like-minded professionals.
Take a look at some of our partners:
News
Barclays and the gaming industry: a multiplayer partnership
The UK gaming industry is valued at £5.7bn – and Barclays is a pioneer in this rapidly evolving sector. David Gowans, Head of Creative Technologies at Barclays Ventures, shares his insights into the bank’s approach to gaming and esports – and why every sector can benefit from its innovations.
Ukie Reveals UK Game of Show Finalists
Winner of the competition on 24 August will represent the UK at the first EuroPlay Contest.
Helping bring the games industry closer together with a sponsored Slack upgrade
With no way to meet in person over the last few months, we’ve been looking for ways to support the UK games industry and help bring it closer together.
Barclays furthers support for esports with NSE Partnering for 2020/2021 Academic Year
We are delighted to announce we are partnering with NSE for the 2020/2021 British University Esports championship.
Meet the Games and Esports Team
Dave Gowans
Head of Games and Esports
Jon Paterson
Partnership Lead
Elaine Moran
Strategy Lead
Matthew Colclough
Esports Lead
Connect
Whether you’re starting out in games and esports or looking to expand, we’re here to help. If you’d like to find out more about our exciting gaming and esports programme and upcoming events, we’d love to hear from you.
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