BAFTA winning students launch own studio

The student coders behind the BAFTA winning game Tick Tock Toys have officially launched their studio Swallowtail Games.

Swallowtail started life as a student team formed to enter the Abertay University 2011 Dare To Be Digital coding contest. Victory at the competition lead them to the stage at the Video Game BAFTAs, where they won one of the highly regarded accolades for their iPad game.

The team have since completed postgraduate studies at Abertay University, and have now been awarded up to £25,000 from the institution’s Prototype Fund to develop and test a complete prototype game, allowing them to establish Swallowtail as a proper company.

“We always planned to release Tick Tock Toys as the feedback we got from Dare to be Digital and winning the BAFTA was so amazing, but now we’re able to finish the game much more quickly – and use this development time to create a really rich, enjoyable experience for people of all ages,” said Sophia George, co-founder of Swallowtail Games.

“I’d advise anyone who wants to start their own games company or try out a new business idea to apply for the Abertay Prototype Fund," added Swallowtail co-founder Kristian Francis. "It’s massively accelerated our business plans.

“What people need to think about in their Prototype Fund application is how they’re going to build a great, commercially viable business, not just a one-off product.

“Swallowtail Games has a really distinctive child-friendly art style and a passionate focus on deceptively simple, beautifully fun games for all the family. That helped us secure the investment and, we hope, will help launch a sustainable, successful business right here in Dundee.”

Swallowtail expects to release Tick Tock Toys early in 2013 for the iPad.

For more details about the Abertay Prototype Fund, visit the initiative’s official website.