Sumo Digital has opened up a new studio called Sumo North West in Warrington.
It will be the company’s seventh development studio in the UK and the eighth globally. The new office will be “focusing on the delivery of high-end engineering and code support services to prestigious clients.”
Former d3t head of delivery Scott Kirkland will serve as a studio director in the new office, returning to Sumo having previously worked at the company as development director.
On top of this, Kirkland worked as the studio technical director at Evolution Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, a role he held for nearly eight years.
“The opportunity to establish a world-class team of technologists in the northwest of England with the full support and benefits of Sumo is amazing and the demand for the premium services we’ll provide is very strong,” he said.
“We’ve identified work that’s incredibly appealing in terms of client, project, platform profile, variety and challenge. I look forward to growing and nurturing a team that will cement Sumo’s future in the northwest’s vibrant development community.”
Sumo Digital managing director Gary Dunn added: “Scott’s creativity, unrivalled technical experience and work ethic made him the clear choice to lead a studio designed to deliver cutting-edge technical excellence.
“Sumo North West further extends our proven ability to deliver outstanding games and game content to blue-chip clients across the world. The demand is there, we have fantastic projects lined up and the region has an incredible talent pool to draw from.”
The Crackdown 3 developer is currently recruiting for the new Sumo North West studio.
In July of this year, the company said it wanted to increase its headcount by 15 per cent within 12 months, taking its total number of employees to around 750. Sumo's staff has already increased by a third between the games firm going public at the end of 2017 and March 2019.
Since its IPO, the firm has made a number of acquisitions, including CCP's VR-centric Newcastle office, fellow work-for-hire outfit Red Kite Games and Dear Esther developer The Chinese Room.
