Leamington-based Kwalee opens second studio in Bangalore

From the sedate streets of Leamington Spa to the bustle of booming Bangalore – the connections between the middle-england market town and the 10m person mega-metropolis seem tenuous, but for the games industry they make perfect partners.

And that’s why hyper-casual developer Kwalee has chosen Bangalore as the location for its second studio. With the new location set to make use of the city’s “wealth of tech and gaming talent as the company continues to expand.”

Kwalee is also keen to make best use of the time difference, seeing it as a positive rather than a hindrance. It will allow the company, which must react quickly to changing consumer desires, to achieve an “almost ‘always-on’ workflow whereby employees in Bangalore handle tasks outside regular UK office hours and vice versa.”

“Bangalore being an established IT and gaming hub with a deep talent pool and international recognition, it was an obvious choice for us”

“We have long been a global company in terms of the developers we collaborate with and the players we reach, but we felt it was important to commit to this further by expanding beyond the UK and into Asia,” said David Darling, CEO of Kwalee.

“Bangalore being an established IT and gaming hub with a deep talent pool and international recognition, it was an obvious choice for us. Of course the current worldwide situation with COVID-19 might mean that a traditional studio opening is put on hold, but we’re excited to expand our team across both Bangalore and Leamington Spa, for the two studios to develop as a harmonious unit, and eventually meet the new team in person!”

And the ongoing pandemic has also opened the company’s eyes to the benefits of remote working, with Kwalee opening up some positions to remote applicants on a permanent basis as a direct result of lessons learnt while working under COVID-19 restrictions. 

Earlier this year Kwalee announced that it had paid out over £1m in staff bonuses.