Eve Online makers CCP and Six developer Gram Games open new UK offices

Yet another major games company is opening a development studio in London.

CCP has joined Endemol and Gram Games by launching a new outfit in the English capital. The Eve Online maker is also moving its senior management team to the city.

However, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Ptursson says its official HQ remains in Iceland – something that will likely stay the same while the UK decides on its Brexit strategy.

We are going to run the company from London,” said CCP boss Hilmar Veigar Ptursson.

But it would be good to know what will happen with all this Brexit business before we make any formal corporate structural changes.”

He continued: The idea is to centralise the management of the company in London, with easy access to all the other offices in Newcastle, Shanghai, Atlanta and Iceland. We are also going to have a small development team here, and trying to reach London’s development talent pool.”

The office will house around 40 staff, and the firm is currently exploring the type of game the new team will work on.

CCP is the third studio to open in London in a matter of weeks, with TV giant Endemol and mobile success story Gram Games also moving into the capital. It suggests that the Government’s recent attempts to attract businesses are paying off, including the introduction of Games Tax Relief and the Games London programme.

London is a central location to the mobile gaming industry and it’s a key move for our next studio to attract global talent,” Gram Games’ head of strategic partnerships Alex Willink told MCV.

London is also vital to our development as we further build our relationships across platforms, partners and investors. We genuinely believe that it is an ideal city where people who join our family will quickly understand the immensely important way of life that is integral to being part of Gram Games.”

He continues: Brexit is something we had to take into consideration but this move has been planned for some time and we are still comfortable that London is the right place to be. We feel it will remain a key location for the mobile gaming scene with large studios such as King, Space Ape and Hutch already based here. To complement the large studios, there’s also a booming indie game development scene.”