Orlando’s Creative Village could spark growth in video gaming companies

Aug. 12--A push for high-wage digital media jobs at Creative Village in downtown Orlando has some video game industry leaders dreaming big and wondering aloud what it would be like to lure top studios to Central Florida.

Leaders of the region's largest game maker Electronic Arts said last week the company is in the "midst of real estate planning" after being asked about Creative Village.

While details on which companies might either move to Orlando or open a satellite office remain scarce, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer last month said the industry is one of the top targets for the quickly emerging community.

Nearby, the city already has one of the highest-rated video game schools in the country: UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. FIEA has produced more than 700 graduates in video game development since its 2005 debut.

UCF's new downtown campus is a key part of Creative Village, and classes are set to open later this month.

Adding top studios could create a cluster of potential employers for students in the area, FIEA Executive Director Ben Noel said.

The result would be more graduates staying in the area to help grow its video game industry in what are typically high-wage jobs.

"The more of those you have around you, the more places you have for your people to go," he said. "This would create more recurring opportunities for our students, and we are only as good as where our students go."

City leaders have been planning for years the arrival of Creative Village, which will accommodate 8,000 students, faculty and staff.

While it's not a foregone conclusion, landing a high-profile company could grow the region's reputation for video game building.

While Electronic Arts is known to build its Madden franchise in Maitland, the studio also contributes to other big-name titles from that office.

Steamroller Studios in Eustis has been working on its own game while also contributing contract work on titles such as the megahit Fortnite, Crystal Dynamics' Rise of the Tomb Raider and Prey, a first-person shooter developed by Bethesda Softworks.

The school's involvement in the effort could determine whether it succeeds, Steamroller cofounder Adam Meyer said, because it could bring a steady stream of talent to video game companies that open Orlando offices.

"Any time you have a bunch of like-minded people, it helps the community," Meyer said. "If one company needs an artist or has some contract work it needs done, it helps."

The fringe benefits of having a hub for video game makers go beyond just a talent pipeline, however.

Meyer said building that community would mean a supply of companies that could help schools such as FIEA and Full Sail to craft curricula, much like Electronic Arts was instrumental in developing FIEA's class schedule.

"When you're in a bubble, you just don't have the support," Meyer said. "Having an ecosystem that can support you can certainly help you."

The University of Central Florida's efforts have not gone unnoticed by industry professionals, who say building a robust video game community from the ground up requires buy in from large entities like the school.

"They are trying to create density, and that takes millions of dollars," said Kunal Patel, one of the leading advocates for Orlando's video game community. He runs a coworking space that is home to several game developers downtown.

Patel has spent the past several years building Indienomicon, a group that connects independent video game builders in Central Florida.

His group often draws about 100 people to monthly meetings and, because of the area schools, frequently features budding companies that have built video games. Those are the businesses that need support, he said.

"At some point, the small baby studios will become medium-sized and eventually will grow bigger," he said.

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