New publisher Outplay plans 150 jobs for Dundee
VC and government-backed social/mobile outfit from Virgin/Foundation9 vets
25-year industry veterans Douglas and Richard Hare have announced their new venture Outplay Entertainment, a social and mobile game publisher based in Scotland.
The startup boasts VC backing from Pentech Ventures and the Scottish Investment Bank's Co-investment Fund, and will also receive £2.25 million in Regional Selective Assistance support from Scottish Enterprise.
Supported by the Scottish government, Outplay is now recruiting and hopes to eventually provide a large number of industry jobs to the Dundee area.
"150 employees is our plan to grow to," CEO Douglas Hare told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today. "That number is tied into the idea of a long-term plan, when we were speaking with the Scottish government about setting up, and we've got a plan over multiple years to potentially arrive at that.
"We're starting with a very small kernel of very talented people, so we can establish core tools, technologies and the strategy to test product across a number of different genres and monetisation experiments. Once we've established that we have a successful, replicable model, then we can grow."
The Hare brothers previously worked in the US at firms including Virgin Interactive, The Collective and Foundation9, but have returned to Scotland for their latest venture.
Commented the Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond, "Outplay Entertainment's decision to establish a Dundee HQ reinforces Scotland's reputation as an attractive and competitive location for the future of the videogames market.
"Scotland's creative industries have high potential for growth and are a key sector in the Government Economic Strategy. There are more than 50 games companies in Scotland investing over £30 million per annum in our economy.
"Outplay Entertainment's decision to create up to 150 new jobs is testament to the city's reputation for excellence in games development Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise's commitment to securing new jobs and investment to Scotland."
The firm has yet to announce specific projects, but Douglas Hare talks more about its long-term plans, the risk of starting a new publisher in the current climate and whether social and mobile will necessarily triumph over more traditional forms of gaming in the full interview here.