A DARLINGTON-based video games company, Typical Gaming, has has won a place on the highly competitive Roblox Games Accelerator Program.

The firm specialises in creating unique experiences in the Roblox online gaming metaverse, and has just released the game Control The Chaos in early access and Bunny Run Simulator.

The company’s CEO, entrepreneurial game developer Guy Jones attributes his success to reading more than 100 books, watching 1,000 YouTube videos, and putting in 8,000 hours of hard work.

The company was also supported by the Teesside University-led DigitalCity initiative through its accelerator programme which offers financial support and mentoring to early-stage tech businesses in the Tees Valley

Guy joined the DigitalCity accelerator programme in February 2022 to enable growth of the team, increase the quality of the business as a whole and to utilise the grant to increase the quality of the game.

He credits the ERDF-funded DigitalCity initiative, as a catalyst to realise his flagship project from an idea that began at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The accelerator programme provided Guy with valuable time out of his technical role to develop his skills as a business leader, giving him much-needed time to work on the business and not just in it.

Since completing the DigitalCity accelerator programme Guy is extremely proud to take the next step onto the 2022 Roblox Games Accelerator Program starting in September.

This is a significant achievement for Guy and Typical Gaming as it represents a huge step forward for his business. The program involves a healthy financial investment and mentoring from the team who make the Roblox game engine.

When asked about the Roblox Accelerator Programme, Mr Jones said: “I hope to gain the support from the Roblox marketing team and learn to understand the method behind ‘the algorithm’. It will be very useful in our campaign to achieve the front page of the Roblox platform. But I’m most excited about the mentoring from the technical team who created the systems as it will be a fantastic opportunity for Typical Gaming to optimise in the best way possible.”

Lynsey Robinson, director of DigitalCity, added: “Some of the most exciting and innovative games studios in the North East started out with the support of the DigitalCity Accelerator Programme and it is fantastic to see Typical Gaming carry on in this tradition.

“We are delighted that Guy and his company are already developing their own intellectual property (IP) and we look forward to see Typical Gaming go onto further success as they complete the Roblox Accelerator Programme.”

For more information on DigitalCity visit www.thedigitalcity.com.

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