National Videogame Arcade to move as British Games Institute relocates to new Sheffield HQ
Arcade will re-open in October, and GameCity festival will continue to run later this year
The British Games Institute is moving headquarters later this year, and it's taking the National Videogame Arcade with it.
We revealed earlier this year that the newly-formed national games agency has merged with the National Videogame Foundation, which runs the Arcade, and set up shop in its Nottingham headquarters.
Now the organisation is moving to Sheffield instead, where it will be among the first to be housed by the new Kollider hub for creative and technology companies. This will also be where the National Videogame Arcade will relocate to.
The current NVA will close in mid-September, before opening at the Sheffield Kollider in late October. The BGI will continue to run an educational and research facility in Nottingham, as well as the popular GameCity festival later this year.
The new Kollider hub is being revonated with the help of funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and is part of efforts to grow the tech and creative sectors in Sheffield. The city is already home to numerous games studios, ranging from Crackdown 3 and Team Sonic Racing developer Sumo Digital to Boneloaf, the indie behind Gang Beasts.
"Our move to Sheffield is a big statement for BGI," said CEO Rick Gibson. "After looking at multiple locations across the UK, we've chosen Sheffield because it has a vibrant creative technology sector, a fantastic track record in games led by Sumo Digital, one of the best games universities in Sheffield Hallam and a growth-focused culture. The Kollider building is a unique opportunity for BGI to be at the heart of a growing creative cluster in the North with outstanding support from the City, wider region and DCMS."
Iain Simons, BGI culture director and founder of the NVA, added: "The NVA was proudly born in Nottingham, so it's bittersweet to be leaving. Whilst we're opening a new chapter in Sheffield, through the continuing work with Pixelheads and our other education programmes, the GameCity festival and our forthcoming research facility, Nottingham will remain an important centre for BGI activity."