Keyword Studios expands into Singapore

Technical and creative services provider to the games industry, Keywords Studios, has announced Electric Square has opened a new studio in Singapore.

The new studio – which complements the two studios already established in Brighton and Leamington Spa in the UK – will be led by studio head Julien Girard-Buttoz. It currently consists of 13 staff but hopes to expand to 50 employees by 2022. A press release from the company says Electric Square Singapore will “capitalise on the team’s skills developed while working with Bandai Namco Studios and LucasArts, to grow the headcount to 50 by 2022”.

The new premises also brings Keywords Game Development services to Singapore for the first time, offering functionality QA, localisation, Localisation QA, and player support.

“We’re delighted to expand the Electric Square family. Singapore is a major player in the region for game development,” said Julien Girard-Buttoz, studio head, Electric Square Singapore. “The innovation and training ecosystem, the experience and talent of local developers and Singapore’s desirability as a location for attracting talent from all over the world, position Electric Square in the ideal environment to grow and deliver world-class content and experiences.”

“Opening the Singapore studio has been an important milestone in the growth of Electric Square,” added Jon Gibson, head of studios, Electric Square. “There’s a shortage of experienced developers in the industry, so in order to recruit top talent we wanted to establish a presence in the world’s leading gaming hubs. We have studios in Brighton and Leamington Spa, two of the UK’s leading development communities, so Singapore was a logical next step, being a leading light for game development talent and services in Asia.”

Electric Square was founded in 2015 by Jon Gibson and Tim Chapman and is best known for its Forza Street and Hot Wheels releases. Keywords Studios, on the other hand, was established in 1998 and boasts 50+ facilities in 21 countries.