New game Fallen got backing for industry experts

Three teams of developer and designers have created incredible games over the past six months as part of the Games Hub based at Parkside at the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway.

The Games Hub is a programme established by the Eastern Enterprise Hub (EEHub) in partnership with Steve Huckle at Shark Infested Custard and supported by the University, Essex County Council, Colchester Borough Council, Birketts and BDO.

• The next Games Hub will launch soon at Parkside find out more on Wednesday 15 April

The three teams featuring students and games design enthusiasts developed app games with the support of industry experts.

Following an afternoon of presentations to a judging panel including industry experts, Teaboy Games were offered additional funding to support the development of Fallen - the new game they are developing and hope to launch in the coming months.

“All the teams have done incredibly well," Steve Huckle from Shark Infested Custard said. "We offered further funding to Teaboy Games as we believe their game is fantastic and we believe they have the skills to make Fallen a real success across all formats. They’ve listened to and taken on board everything from the gaming experts we have brought to the Games Hub and the business expertise offered by EEHub to develop their plans and create a really addictive game.”

“GamesHub has been really exciting for me, as a graduate its really pushed me to further myself," said Frazer Merrick from Teaboy Games. "I came onto this course as a composer and sound designer and I'm leaving it with skills in graphic design, web design and business.”

Game players can roam heaven and hell in Duality

Heidi Love, from EEHub Colchester, said: “The Games Hub has been a huge success, and I have been so impressed with the progress the teams have made with their games and their business plans. I am looking forward to recruiting the next cohort.”

The other teams which have been working at the Games Hub since last October are Fateweaver Games and Novo Games and they have also developed intriguing games with huge potential.

Fateweaver Games, which includes a mixture of Essex students and general games lovers, have developed a role-play game called Duality which sees players make their way through heaven and hell to reunite two lovers.

“The Games Hub has taught us so much not only about what makes a good game, but also what makes a good games company,” said Jay Siregar from Fateweaver. “There is more to making a successful game than just good design and programming and we learnt you have to have a good business plan and express your vision well to other people to make it in what is a continually growing industry.

“Steve from Shark Infested Custard and Heidi Love from EEHub are both great people with a genuine passion to see young businesses flourish.

“We plan to continue developing our game and come back in a few years to tell them the tales of our successes in the future.”

Bobblehead Mania is a new endless runner

Novo Games is a group of four friends who are also Essex students - Laurentiu Cotiuga, Mircea Mocian, George Negoita and Cristian Olteanu. They have created a fast-paced endless runner game call Bobblehead Mania which is full of surprises and unexpected challenges.

“We’ve enjoyed working hard on creating an amazing product,” George said. “The thing which brought me to the GamesHub is to try to grow a business and I wanted to work with likeminded people who are interested in doing that.”