WIREDGOV

Eight leading Scottish games companies are to showcase their products and expertise to a global audience.

They will leave on 5th April for a two week visit to Japan, one of the world’s biggest and most influential gaming markets, which will see them meet potential new investors, customers and commercial contacts.

In Tokyo they will be based at Tunnel Tokyo, a startup incubator operated by the SEGA Sammy group and venture capital firm Pegasus Ventures.

They will then showcase their products at a Scottish Government event focused on gaming at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which expects to host over 28 million attendees from all over the world.

The visit has been developed as part of the Scottish Government’s Techscaler programme. Participants range from Blazing Griffin a Glasgow-based multi-media entertainment company spanning games, film and post-production, to Dundee based Konglomerate Games and Edinburgh company GLITCHERS, whose products include games technology aimed at the healthcare sector,

Speaking during a visit to Blazing Griffin, Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:

“Japan is synonymous with gaming technology and, with a market valued at around $50 billion, it offers phenomenal economic opportunities for our own, hugely talented Scottish sector.

“Techscaler is about helping entrepreneurs unleash their ability to innovate, spearheading Scotland’s presence in expanding new markets.

“Techscaler Japan will present some of our most exciting gaming start-ups with considerable opportunities to unlock further investment, develop new commercial partnerships and drive and showcase their businesses on a global stage.”

Blazing Griffin's Co-Head of Games, Justin Alae-Carew said:

"We're incredibly excited to take part in Techscaler's market visit to Japan. Japan is not only an incredible consumer and producer of games, but also home to a fantastic array of multi-media intellectual property (IP). We see huge opportunity in exploring cross-border partnership with a specific focus on IP - either Japanese IP coming to the West or Western IP gaining foothold in Japan.

“The multi-media lens by which Japan views IP is also something for us to learn from and given our capabilities across film and games at Blazing Griffin, we're uniquely positioned to take advantage of the opportunities raised by that approach."

Head of Bridge Programmes at CodeBase, delivery partner of Techscaler, Ruth Oliver said:

“The companies selected to join the first Japan cohort represent some of Scotland’s most exciting and promising companies from the gaming sector, and while some are further down the commercial path than others, what they all have in common is a global mindset. 

“With the opportunity to make valuable industry connections and gain insights and learnings, the programme offers the companies a golden chance to win customers and take their business to the next level in one of the world's most dynamic and important markets.”

Background

The companies participating in the visit are:

• BearHammer Games (Glasgow), a virtual reality projects and game developer
• Konglomerate Games (Dundee) develops video game technology for sectors like healthcare and education.
• Buildstash (Glasgow), which helps game developers manage iOS and Android apps
• Yaldi Games (Edinburgh) which develops education-focused software.
• Speech Graphics (Edinburgh) which develops facial animation technology
• Blazing Griffin (Glasgow) a film and games producer and post-production developer.
• Wardog Studios (Edinburgh) which develops virtual reality weapons and vehicles 
• GLITCHERS (Edinburgh) a game developer whose titles include a game used to support dementia research

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai takes place from 13 April to 13 October. It is an international event at which countries, organisations and companies showcase innovations, cultural exchanges and solutions to global challenges. It is expected to attract about 28 million visitors and more than 150 participating countries. 

Scotland’s spotlight event on gaming and consumer industries will be held on 17 April at the UK Pavilion. Scottish Enterprise is supporting the three events for Scotland at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai is available on SDI’s website.

The Scottish Government is investing £42 million in Techscaler. Nearly 1,000 Scottish companies are now involved in the programme.