Mobile gaming firm plays down Brexit talent fears as UK studio drives growth

TURKISH MOBILE gaming firm Gram has the UK’s talent pool to thank for taking the business to the next level, but its founder has said he is not worried about Brexit deterring international recruits.

Gram Games, which secured backing from one of the early-stage investors in Deliveroo, opened its first international studio in London this year in its first major move since launching in Istanbul in 2012.

Kaan Karamanci, a founder and early-stage investor in the firm, said the city offered the possibility of scaling up the business and diversifying its revenues.

“London was essential for us as we grew in size, because first we really needed to expand our capabilities in mobile gaming ... the UK, and London, is one of the leaders in digital and creative industries and we wanted access to the global talent and the UK engineering talent available,” he told the Press Association.

Gram – which is best known for free-to-play titles including Tetris-inspired 1010!, Six!, and its Merged! series – secured about £900,000 from angel investors and venture capital funds including Deliveroo backer Hummingbird in the first few years of operations.

It has yet to release earnings in full, with plans to file its UK accounts in April, but Mr Karamanci said Gram had already seen revenues jump 30 per cent since setting up shop in the UK capital in January, where it now employs 36 staff, including designers, engineers and artists.

But the founder is not concerned about the potential for Brexit to derail that growth, despite a number of business leaders raising fears that young, international talent is being turned by the prospects of a more closed-off Britain.

“Are we worried? We’re not worried,” he said.

“As a company we’re really focused on products, data and talent and we believe that London is a global attractor of great engineering talent.”