One year on from opening its European HQ in Cardiff, Rocket Science Group – a leader in game co-development and multiplayer engineering – is celebrating huge successes.
In 12 months, the Wales team has grown to nearly 40 strong and looking to hit the 50 Welsh jobs target much sooner than the original 5-year goal. The added resource has also allowed Rocket Science Group to enhance its services globally and contributed to the company doubling its revenue.
This side of the pond, the team works on top tiered AAA games projects, working across multiple time zones and using evolving tech to work on some of the world’s favourite games, played by millions of people each day.
The company, which also has bases in New York and Austin in Texas, took the decision to establish a UK base in Wales following an initial connection made between its Bridgend-born CEO Thomas Daniel, and members of the Creative Wales team during the Welsh Government’s trade mission to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March 2022.
Having secured support from the Welsh Government’s Economy Futures Fund, and with expert advice from the Creative Wales team, the Cardiff studio has already created 28 highly skilled specialist roles in the capital over the past 12 months, with more to come.
One of these new members of staff is John Barker (JB), Rocket Science’s Senior Engineering Manager. JB left Wales to pursue a career in games, but after 14 years working for various studios in England including Playground, an Xbox studio, and Microsoft, he has now been able to return to a high-paid job within the sector in Cardiff.
Speaking of the move, JB said:
“My previous experience at Xbox had given me a taste of being part of something big, and Rocket Science offered a similar sense of purpose – but with the bonus of being based in my home country.
“It’s the best of both worlds: a fulfilling career in an industry I love, combined with the comfort and familiarity of ‘home’.
“Traditionally, Wales may have been seen as a small pond, but the concentration of talent and the community here have made it a great place for aspiring developers.”
At a recent visit to Rocket Science in the centre of Cardiff, Minister for the Creative Industries Jack Sargeant said:
“Rocket Science’s presence in Cardiff has been a boost to the games sector in Wales as a whole. It’s been great to hear how they have already begun working with local companies, the educational sector and local initiatives to grow employment options within Wales.
“There is huge potential for the video games sector in Wales, a market that is projected to grow to over $200 billion by 2025.
“This studio is a fantastic example of how Creative Wales and Economy Futures Fund support can help drive economic growth and provide high quality employment opportunities for current and future generations.”
Rocket Science’s founder and CEO Tom Daniel, who is originally from Bridgend, said:
“Cardiff has been vital in aiding Rocket Science’s global growth plans around the world, without Cardiff we would not have been able to succeed to the degree we have this year.
“Over this period of time our Cardiff team have already contributed and worked directly on many of the biggest gaming titles out there, including live titles that are currently global household names as well as the biggest games projects that will be the blockbusters of tomorrow.
“What has been hugely apparent to us at Rocket Science is the real sense of pride and ambition that the Cardiff team have for growing the gaming ecosystem in Wales. In the future, we want to look back at not just a thriving Welsh Rocket Science business but a thriving Welsh gaming industry as a whole.”
To further celebrate their first year here, Rocket Science Group recently launched Super Collider, a new division designed to help video game studios overcome the challenges of self-publishing. Offering a range of services aimed at helping game studios grow their business, it will help them to optimise production processes and super charge their marketing efforts. The new division is one of three unique services, including Atomic Theory and Terminal Velocity.
