Sega is opening a brand new arm of Creative Assembly in the north of England.

The venture – imaginatively named Creative Assembly North – is being established in the city of Newcastle and is being headed up by industry veteran Giselle Stewart OBE (pictured). The developer will be hosting Creative Assembly's 'Continuous Improvement Team' in addition to working on an announced project in collaboration with the studio's Horsham HQ.

Creative Assembly North hopes to hire over 100 developers in the coming years.

Stewart has spent the bulk of her career working at French publishing giant Ubisoft, notably spending almost 20 years as the general manager of its Newcastle-based Reflections studio between 1996 and 2015. She spent a further seven years as the company's director of UK corporate affairs, leaving in December 2022. That's all on top of a number of director and board positions, as well as work in education.

“Starting a new development studio from scratch with the full support and insights of one of the UK’s oldest and largest studios is incredibly exciting," Stewart said.

"We are embracing flexibility, fast iteration, and creation, while fostering cross-location collaboration.

“We are bringing new job opportunities to the North East, building a studio which amplifies the fantastic culture and values of Creative Assembly. We will also extend the reach of the studio’s award-winning outreach programme, the Legacy Project, to support excellence in industry education in the region.”

Sega Europe's chief studio officer Tim Heaton added: “The inception of Creative Assembly North in Newcastle represents another great stride forward for Creative Assembly and Sega Europe in terms of growth. Newcastle has a burgeoning reputation as a technology hub and it’s a wonderful opportunity for the studio to add to its talent pool while helping to stimulate sector growth in the region. Everyone at Sega Europe is excited to see what new experiences Creative Assembly North will contribute to.”