The British Midlands Development Corporation, an American development agency for central England, has been toasting the growth of the games sector in UK's midlands.

MCV sister publication Develop reports that two key announcements have been key to this growth - namely the expansion of Sega's Racing Studio in Solihull, which plans to add 60 jobs, plus the founding of a Coventry-based technology centre dedicated to Serious Games, set to open at the end of the year and built from $6.6m of local authority money.

Plus, the region is host to a number of games developers, including Codemasters, Blitz, Rare - with a total of 160 interactive media firms being based in the area.

"The introduction of the Serious Games Institute will help drive the next commercial phase of the gaming industry, which lies in simulation, defense, education, and training," said Vern Sebby, president and CEO of The British Midlands Development Corporation.

"The interactive media industry in the Midlands is thriving," said Mary Rabatin, the Chicago based VP of the US Central Region for The British Midlands Development Corporation. "This is due in large part to the access companies have to extremely creative and talented specialist staff.

"Digital media companies know that they won't have a problem attracting talent in the British Midlands."