Localisation firm Partnertrans to axe UK division

QA and localisation firm Partnertrans is to shut down its Brighton office in favour of two new divisions in Montreal and the US, the company has confirmed.

Iris Ludolf, co-founder of the German headquartered outfit, said the company has been gradually reducing its UK workforce by not replacing workers who have left.

"We are already working closely with a number of clients in the US and Canada, and now want to bring our services closer to them to support the many development centres across North America even more effectively," Ludolf said in a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz

It is not known how many UK jobs will be affected by the move.

Partnertrans’ decision to move out of the UK and invest in North America mimics a move announced recently by fellow services firm Babel Media.

Babel, a game development outsource group, is shifting its resources away from Britain because “there is a brain drain in the UK while Canada is thriving”.

Richard Leinfellner, the CEO Babel Media, told Develop that the UK games industry “cannot compete in the modern business without games tax breaks”.

Partnertrans will keep its headquarters in Germany, but is shifting the focus of its business to the North American market by opening a new office in Montreal this January and a US office in the third quarter of 2012.