“At Rare, having a diverse team is incredibly important to us” – Women in Games Awards headline sponsor Rare on supporting women in the industry

We may have had to push the date back a little, but we’re incredibly excited to be launching the Women in Games Awards 2020 this year, now taking place on the 25th of November.

It has been a remarkably difficult year, but that’s just all the more reason for us to recognise and celebrate the incredible work from women in our industry. We are incredibly proud to have this opportunity to celebrate the incredible talent in the UK games industry, and it’s a pride that our headline sponsor, Rare, shares.

“Rare are delighted to return as Headline Sponsor for the MCV/DEVELOP Women in Games Awards this year” says Veronica Heath, talent ambassador at Rare. “We believe we have a role to play to continue to acknowledge and celebrate the fantastic achievements of women in games, as well as recognise how we can continue to evolve as an industry. We look forward to seeing the nominees and award those who have excelled in their fields of expertise and contributed to the culture of their teams.”

As Heath explains, this role of recognising the achievements of women goes beyond just awards, of course. The company has made a focus on diversity an important part of their company’s culture.

“Being inclusive is on every single person that works in our wonderful industry, to create more respectful environments for our teams, where all team members can thrive and have successful careers in which they can bring their unique perspectives into the games we create.

“At Rare, having a diverse team is incredibly important to us. We continually strive to improve in areas of hiring, as well as how we support and represent the diversity in our studio. Even since last year, we have made strides in building a women’s network across Xbox Game Studios in the UK, led by women in our studio leadership teams. We have expanded our programs of emotional wellbeing, mental health support as well as extensive family friendly benefits and we are committed to do more.”

Nominations for the Women in Games Awards 2020 are open now. If you would like to nominate the hard work of your colleagues, or your own achievements, please head to our Women in Games Awards website to make your voice heard.