A London based games development company is expanding its operations and with support from the Welsh Government is to open a new centre in Wales creating sixty new skilled jobs over the next three years.
Oyster World Ltd is setting up its development, marketing and R&D centre on Melin Corrwg Business Park, near Pontypridd. The investment is supported by £1million business finance from the Welsh Government.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart described the inward investment project as a significant boost for the digital media sector in Wales.
“Wales was in competition with Canada for this project so I am delighted to welcome Oyster World to Wales. The Welsh Government is fully committed to accelerating the growth of digital media businesses in Wales and the development of the games industry is an integral part of this aim.
“We have a growing pool of talent in games development, with universities becoming increasingly aligned to the needs of the sector and spinning out a large number of micro businesses.
“Attracting a significant player like Oyster World, which is producing internationally successful titles, is a significant boost and sends out a strong message to the industry that Wales has the skills and talent to support this niche sector.”
Oyster World’s management team have, between them, 75 years of experience in running successful games development/publishing businesses. They intend to grow Oyster World into a major force in development, publishing and electronic distribution of interactive entertainment software and online content services.
Tony Bailey, Communications Manager , said:” We look forward to creating a dynamic new operations hub in Wales and building a new team to expand the business.
“We are very impressed by the availability of talented and skilled people in Wales and will be looking to recruit experienced staff as well as taking on talented young graduates. We are already working with the University of South Wales which has an excellent reputation in this field.
“Support from the Welsh Government was another deciding factor in choosing Wales as the base for our first major expansion.”
Oyster World, a licensed Nintendo developer and publisher, has a number of games on the market, will be rolling out new products and further developing its award winning original IP online game Garden Party in readiness for a global launch.