Media firm and Sniper Elite developer Rebellion has announced the purchase of a new $100m site in its native Oxford as the firm doubles down on its film business.
This 220,000 square foot space - an old printing press just outside of the city - is to be converted into a film studio with 500 new jobs set to be created in the process.
This follows the creation of Rebellion Productions in 2017, which saw the firm announcing its intention to do more work in film and TV based on the wealth of IP it owns under the 2000AD banner. In the past, Rebellion has said it wants to do more with this franchise - with CEO Jason Kingsley OBE (pictured) telling PCGamesInsider.biz that several games based on the goliath series were in the works, as well as a number of other media projects.
Rebellion has already announced a partnership with Duncan Jones, he of Warcraft, Source Code, Mute and Moon fame, to make a film based on the Rogue Trooper IP.
“This studio purchase is incredibly exciting, not just for Rebellion but for the global film and television industry that is booming but in desperate need of further infrastructure to cope with the demands for new and engaging content," Jason Kingsley said.
“We know first-hand the creativity and talent here in the UK and this new studio will bring in projects from all over the world, offering opportunity and income to many people in the industry, as well as local companies and services. It also means there will be demand for more UK production and we can export more of our work globally.”
Chris Kingsley added: “The levels of growth in television content for streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon, have been astronomical in recent years. The demand for ongoing original content is bigger than ever and we’re seeing more big players wanting to get in on the action. This is very exciting for the domestic and global film industries but it’s also meant that our infrastructure is under increasing pressure.
“The new studios will help relieve some of that pressure whilst also adding to the growing figures of people employed in the UK film and TV industry, which has increased by 20% in the last five years. Our creative industries are appealing to other markets for our talent and generous tax reliefs - and we must ensure we have the studio space and infrastructure to keep furthering this ongoing growth.”
Meanwhile, Moon, Source Code and WarCraft producer Stuart Fenegan commented: “World class UK crews and Tax Credit mean studio availability has been scarce in recent years. Jason, Chris and the Rebellion team establishing another major UK studio is huge. Thrilled for them and at the prospect of being able to shoot Rogue Trooper on truly home turf.”
Oh, and before you ask, no the Kingsley brothers aren't going to be the next games business owners to take their company public.
