A Dundee tech firm says its multi-million-pound investment in a game with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay will propel growth in 2022 and beyond.
Outplay Entertainment created a game, Gordon Ramsay Chef Blast, alongside the Michelin star chef.
Investments in the game, which launched last year, had resulted in a pre-tax loss being filed by the Dundee games studio.
Newly published accounts for Outplay Entertainment show pre-tax losses of £3.8m for the year to December 2021.
Chief executive Douglas Hare said: “That’s where the loss came from, but it’s an investment.
“The payback period is 12 months or more before you get your return on investment.
“The game came out last January, we weren’t going to get a return on that until this year. It’s just the nature of the beast.
“Next year is the focus for us. We anticipate significant top line growth.
“We’re looking to continue growing this year but the emphasis is on next year.”
He said the company has been largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, operating entirely remotely during the various lockdowns before moving to a hybrid model of working.
Mr Hare added: “We’ve taken the approach of letting people work from where they’ll be most productive.
“For the most part people are continuing to work remotely. It is working out just fine.”
Sales growth for Dundee games studio
Meanwhile, the business reported a rise in turnover to £12.4 million for the year ending December 2021 in newly filed accounts.
That is up from £10.3m the year previous but chief executive Douglas Hare said the sales growth was even better than it might appear.
He said: “About £2m of the 2020 turnover came from our subsidiary Mobile Gaming Studios before we sold them.
“If you subtract out that revenue and look at just Outplay, it’s actually a 47% increase.
“We’re very pleased with that.”
Mobile Gaming Studios was sold in March 2020 to Miniclip.
The accounts also show Outplay’s UK sales rose to more than £800,000.
That’s up from £580,000 the year before for the largest independent mobile developer in the UK.
Its sales in the rest of the world for the year to December 2021 were £11.6m, up from £9.6m.
Dundee games developer plans to recruit
The firm is looking to add to its 128-strong workforce.
But the way it recruits staff has changed as a result of its new hybrid working approach.
“Prior to the pandemic we were hiring with a view that people would move to within commuting distance of the studio in Dundee,” said the chief executive.
“That’s no longer the case.
“They can come and visit the studio however many times a year when appropriate.”
Mr Hare said looking after a workforce that is primarily online-based does have its challenges.
He added Outplay is well placed to ensure all its employees remain invested in the company.
“There’s a challenge of making sure people feel connected to the business,” he added.
“We had an on-site activity day where people got together, so there’s definitely still those opportunities.
“But our current model is going pretty well, with the learning initiatives that we have and career opportunities.
“The games industry was definitely one of the lucky ones through the pandemic.”
Conversation