Leading games developer Sports Interactive relocates to Here East
Here East has announced that the world’s leading developer of football management games, Sports Interactive, is relocating its entire operation to the East London technology and creative campus.
The developer of the world-famous Football Manager series will move its 100-strong workforce from its current Old Street base to capitalise on the opportunities for collaboration and innovation offered at Here East. Sports Interactive, which is whollyowned by the Japanese video game giant SEGA, will take 13,415 square foot in Here East’s Broadcast Centre, on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Sports Interactive will use the space for all of its business functions, including game development, R&D and communications.
Here East is a dedicated 1.2 million square foot campus for established businesses, start-ups and creatives to collaborate on new ideas and deliver the products and services of the future. Sports Interactive joins the Here East community with ambitious plans to partner with existing tenants including BT Sport and Plexal – a world-leading innovation centre.
Sports Interactive is the latest in a line of leading names to agree their move to Here East. Earlier this month leading bookmakers Ladbrokes Coral announced its plans to establish a technology and innovation hub on the campus, while Ford Motors is opening its European Smart Mobility Office on site. Luxury fashion retailer, MATCHESFASHION. COM, is also relocating part of its operation to Here East, further adding to the cluster of brands and sectors being cultivated. BT Sport already broadcasts live from the campus which is also home to UCL and Loughborough University
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It’s fantastic news that Sports Interactive is choosing to relocate to Here East, which is fast becoming a leading technology and innovation hub in London. Being based alongside other successful businesses and start-ups at Here East is a real open goal, presenting opportunities for collaboration on new ideas and products to grow quickly and contribute to London’s economy.”
Miles Jacobson OBE, Studio Director, Sports Interactive said: “We love the fact that Here East is right in the sweet spot where sport and technology meet. We’ve already collaborated with BT Sport on a video project and we’re very much looking forward to similar collaborations with more of our new neighbours when we move to the complex in spring 2018. We’re confident that our move to Here East will help us to shift our operations to the next level. The fact that we’re helping with the regeneration of the area, maintaining the Olympic legacy and giving our team a better chance to afford to live near the office are all added bonuses.”
Gavin Poole, Chief Executive of Here East said: “Successful companies work across many sectors; they collaborate, they learn from each other, and they innovate together. Sports Interactive understands this shift which is why they have chosen Here East as their base for future success and we are excited by their decision. “Sports Interactive’s move epitomises the spread of London’s technology and creative sectors eastwards, out of their traditional homes in Shoreditch and Silicon Roundabout, and into new collaborative digital campuses such as Here East.”
Paul Goswell, Managing Director of Delancey said: “Reports of rising rents and limitations on central London’s infrastructure is putting pressure on London’s traditional home for the creative and tech industries. Here East provides the answer to this challenge with world-class facilities and a collaborative, creative working environment that is unrivalled in Europe. We are thrilled that Sports Interactive have recognised the opportunities that await at Here East.”
For More Info Contact:
Helen Wharton
Tel: +44 (0)78 8178 4062
helen.wharton@instinctif.com
Henry Connor
Tel: +44 (0)77 0957 7073
henry.connor@instinctif.com
Georgina Bass
Communications Manager
Delancey
Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 1991
Katharine Walsh
Head of Communications
Delancey
Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 1461
Notes to Editors
About Here East
Here East is located at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. It is a dedicated place for individuals and companies who embrace and pioneer technology, share expertise and are creating the products of tomorrow.
It is a unique campus where creative businesses growing quickly in scale join businesses growing in creativity. It is designed as a place for start-up entrepreneurial businesses to co-exists and collaborate with global established businesses and support genuine product innovation.
Here East provides over one million square feet of dedicated and versatile spaces for creative and digital companies. It combines unparalleled infrastructure with a unique environment to facilitate collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Here East includes shared workspaces and public areas to foster a tight community, alongside a shared yard with space for discussion and events, a landscaped canalside and artisan cafes, shops and restaurants.
Here East is already home to BT Sport; Ladbrokes Coral’s tech and innovation hub, LC2; Loughborough University London; UCL; Studio Wayne MacGregor; Signal Noise; Plexal – a world class innovation centre. Ford’s new European Smart Mobility Innovation Office will be opening soon and online luxury fashion retailer MATCHESFASHION. COM recently announced its move to Here East.
Here East is being developed by iCITY, a company owned by clients of Delancey, a specialist real estate investment advisory company. For more information please see hereeast.com
About Sports Interactive
Founded in 1994 and based in London, Sports Interactive (SI) has a full-time staff of more than 100 and employs the services of roughly 1,300 part-time researchers across the globe (as well as more than 200 offsite Beta testers). SI has ongoing relationships with some of the biggest names in professional football, including the League Managers Association, The EFL and many other leagues and national associations. Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA in 2006. Further information is available at www.sigames.com.
About Delancey
Delancey is a specialist real estate investment, development advisory company whose activities encompass retail, residential and commercial real estate across London and the UK. Collaborating on a wide range of assets, partners and clients, Delancey is recognised for its innovative and diverse approach to creating long term value from real estate.
Delancey also advises clients on appropriate capital structures, financing and provides asset management and development services.
Delancey has a diverse portfolio of retail, residential, office and corporate assets across London and the UK, including the Alpha Plus Group, Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and 185 Park Street on the South Bank. Delancey is also a pioneer in the private rented sector and has spent much of the last few years bringing the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics to life; it is delivering over 3,000 homes for rent at East Village, the former London 2012 Athletes Village.
For further information visit delancey.com