Moving to ‘Silicon Spa’
Nicknamed ‘Silicon Spa’, Leamington Spa and its surrounding areas have become a hub for gaming companies due to its higher than average number of gaming and tech businesses. With one in every 50 people in Leamington Spa employed by a gaming developer, as local Warwickshire estate agents we’ve seen that relocating for work to Leamington Spa has become quite common for programmers, artists and designers.
Whilst being a tech hub, surprisingly 75% of the digital companies in the area are games companies – a typical percentage would be around 5-10%. So why is Leamington Spa such a hub for gaming?
The Origins of Silicon Spa
Leamington’s history with gaming began in 1986 with Codemasters, a gaming company founded by the Darling brothers. Codemasters, along with Blitz Games (a company started by two of the Darling’s previous employees) grew and eventually split off, with the people who left forming their own companies. This trend continued and more and more start-up companies began to appear across the area. This culture is still very much a part of Silicon Spa’s identity, with people moving companies to work on different projects, gaining experience and sharing knowledge.
The Silicon Spa area currently has over 30 gaming studios and shows no sign of slowing down. For example, up-and-coming studio Mediatonic (the studio behind the multi-award winning 2020 hit Fall Guys) has recently set up an office on Mill Street. Leamington Spa is also home to branches of big names such as Ubisoft and Sega, making it the place to be for anyone aspiring to climb the ranks of the game industry.
Buying Property in Silicon Spa
As estate agents in Warwickshire, we often see people interested in buying a house in Leamington Spa and the surrounding areas in order to either join the gaming industry or to work with one of the many companies in the area. Furthermore, with cities like Coventry and Birmingham nearby, there are also a number of people commuting to/from Leamington Spa, and interest is rising in properties for sale in Warwickshire.
Find Out More
If you’re looking to move to Silicon Spa, then please get in touch – our local team of Leamington Spa estate agents would be happy to help with any enquiries you may have about the area. You can also make a start by browsing our houses for sale in Leamington Spa.