UK accelerator scheme Indielab loads up game studios programme

Indielab, the accelerator scheme for UK-based independent producers, has launched a programme dedicated to helping start-up, small- and mid-sized games studios.

Victoria Powell

Indielab Games’ core mission is to support the UK’s next generation of gaming companies by helping them develop their commercial and growth potential, with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

It will create regional and national programmes that help founders work on the growth of their businesses – everything from honing value proposition and finance plans to developing effective company culture and exploring the full range of revenue streams available, plus monetisation and investment opportunities.

The programmes will be delivered in bespoke modules that include masterclasses, seminars, coaching and mentoring, one-to-one sessions with industry experts and a range of free legal, accountancy and other professional services support.

The launch comes on the back of Indielab’s first games accelerator, delivered in West Yorkshire in partnership with Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. Eleven local studios were selected for the accelerator, including Archway Interactive, Love Wish, Cooperative Innovations and Halcyon Palace, with more than half of the cohort being ethnically diverse and/or female led.

Following on from this, Indielab Games’ first official accelerator is Games Export Lab, also delivered in West Yorkshire. The Games Export Lab will help provide games studios in the region with all they need to prepare an export action plan and ready themselves for international business, including an in-depth knowledge of specific local markets and an enhanced understanding of international consumption trends and new technologies.

The Games Export Lab is being delivered with supporting modules from the association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), Game Republic and Yorkshire & Humber Department for International Trade. Applications for the Games Export Lab, which starts at the end of June, opened this week.

Victoria Powell, Indielab’s founder and CEO, said: “Games is the biggest and fastest growing screen industry in the UK but currently lacks some of the highly specialised accelerator support for early-stage businesses that exists in the TV and tech sectors. Indielab Games will not only provide the tools to help and support studios develop their own unique growth paths and access to investment but will also be an additional engine of change in the sector, working with industry-wide stakeholders to create a safe and inclusive games industry for all.

“To be truly commercially successful today, just being creative isn’t good enough. You need to marry this with entrepreneurial skills, a diverse culture, and have a forward-thinking understanding of inclusive leadership baked into your DNA. Through our programmes and network of experts, trainers and mentors, we will deliver the appropriate tools, aiming for all our participants to rapidly accelerate their growth and unlock their potential.”