Warwickshire’s gaming industry earmarked by government for foreign investment

Warwickshire’s booming gaming sector, dubbed ‘Silicon Spa’, has been selected as a potential recipient for global investment as announced by International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade Dr Liam Fox MP.  

Silicon Spa will be promoted as part of the government’s High Potential Opportunity (HPO) scheme. HPO was developed by the Department for International Trade (DIT) to attract international investment to parts of the UK economy where there are clear commercial opportunities that may have previously been overlooked. The project focuses on growing industries that may benefit from additional investment.

Given the strong creative cluster of businesses within the Silicon Spa area the HPO scheme presents the opportunity to give the region the international profile it deserves.

In April this year Digital Creative Lead Stacy O’ Connor, from the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, and Inward Investment Officer Sim Lee, from Warwickshire County Council, submitted an application detailing the commercial opportunities for potential investors that could support and strengthen the existing digital creative ecosystem in the region. The application later passed the two-stage process; one of only a handful of successful submissions in the country.

The next step is for the team to work closely with DIT to develop a focused proposition for Warwickshire’s digital creative sector to help promote it to international markets. The team hopes that projects such as the ‘Leamington Creative Quarter’ - a scheme to regenerate the Old Town of Leamington Spa - will provide the perfect location for future investment giving companies access to the area’s diverse talent and digital supply chain.

Warwickshire County Council’s Economy & Skills Group Manager David Ayton-Hill said:

“This is a really fantastic proposition for Silicon Spa and a brilliant opportunity to boost a vibrant part of the Warwickshire economy.

Over recent years the local gaming industry has gone from strength to strength and is more than capable of holding its own on the world stage. We’re really keen for the HPO to be the next exciting chapter in the growth of this dynamic industry.”