Creative industries

Case studies

InGAME partnership, Abertay University, University of Dundee and University of St Andrews

InGAME is a collaborative initiative between Abertay University, the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews to accelerate growth in Dundee’s games cluster. It provided research and development support, professional services and training to de-risk creative experimentation, foster scale-up capacity and diversify applications of games technology.

Since 2019, InGAME has supported over 175 R&D projects, upskilled 1,700 professionals and applied gaming to sectors from health to education. Successes include Hyper Luminal Games embedding accessibility into new IP, expanding its team from 20 to 50 and tripling annual revenue to £3m.

An independent 2023 evaluation valued InGAME’s impact at £84.7m GVA, supporting 175 jobs and generating £16 for every £1 of public funding.

Dundee’s reputation as a global hub for video game development is built on its close industry–university links, which have contributed to major titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Minecraft. Today, it hosts around 40 studios, has the highest number of game developers per capita in the UK, and has attracted over £400m in inward investment since 2019.

Meeting the skills needs of the screen sector in Wales, University of South Wales

The University of South Wales (USW) leads the Skills and Training activity for Media Cymru – a £50 million programme to position the Cardiff Capital Region as a global hub for media production and innovation. Established in 2022, the consortium of 22 industry, academic and civic partners, led by Cardiff University with USW, builds on the Clwstwr and Fictioneers projects to embed research, development and sustainability in the Welsh screen sector.

USW’s sector research has shaped the UK’s first Sustainability Coordinator programme for high-end TV, offering intensive training and placements to embed greener practices and upskill professionals at all career stages.

The university has also launched Wales’s first Virtual Production Fellowships at fivefold studios in Bridgend, delivered with Final Pixel Academy. Over nine months, mid-to-senior crew gain hands-on experience with real-time game engine technology, LED backdrops and motion capture – skills increasingly transforming visual content creation.

Another example is the ‘Moho House 2D Animation’ course, run with Cloth Cat Animation Studios, Biggerhouse Films CIC and animator Dani Abram. Dani calls the course the first training of its kind anywhere in the world. 

Centre for Writing, Northumbria University

Northumbria University, in partnership with New Writing North, is creating a new centre for writing and publishing in Newcastle upon Tyne. Backed by £5m from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and £2m from the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, the centre will nurture northern writers, support the regional publishing industry and open creative opportunities for local communities.

With support from leading publishers including Hachette UK, Faber & Faber and Simon & Schuster, it will host programmes, courses and events for writers at all levels, helping them develop skills, networks and experience to break into publishing, TV and film.