Rebellion: The UK isn’t the most expensive place to make a game

British independent developer Rebellion has hit out at reports saying that the UK is the most expensive place to develop a game.

Asked in a Develop-exclusive interview whether the studio struggles as a work-for-hire developer when it’s pitching against other teams in less costy locations such as the US, CEO Jason Kingsley said: "No – the UK is nowhere near as expensive as it is in California. Although we’re not that far behind, I would say Britain is the best place to get a game made."

"There are some horror stories other studios will tell you about going to low-cost places to get a game made," he continues. "There is a risk/reward situation for publishers when it comes to paying for that. We’ve been around 16 years, and we’ve not got a reputation to maintain, which I think is one of the things that helps us attract work. The same goes for other UK studios."

The brothers also talked about how they’ve built an audio studio into their new open plan offices in Oxford, bringing the audio process in-house.

"I think the key is that when you get to a certain larger size as a developer there are things you can outsource but a lot of things which should remain in-house. A lot of the major competencies you have to do in-house as your partners are paying for it," said Kingsley.

For more from the Kingsleys, including the troubles of multi-site development and how they managed to deploy their technology throughout both studios, check out our full interview here.