Mastered obtains funding to bolster senior talent in UK game development studios

Mastered, a company focused on career acceleration, has received new funding contracts from local county councils aimed at enhancing the skills of senior professionals working in the UK games industry.

The purpose of these contracts is to "enable studios to invest in their people" by subsidizing up to 90% of the training expenses through funding from local government bodies.

This financial support is accessible to gaming studios in Guildford, Brighton, and other regions including Liverpool, West and South Yorkshire, the North East, Kent, Oxfordshire, Essex, Hampshire, and Wiltshire.

The newly acquired contracts from Mastered allow them to offer 64 hours of mentorship, training, or coaching throughout a 16-week timeframe.

The program components feature mentorship from technical and production experts, interactive workshops, individual guidance sessions, and a dedicated program manager to oversee logistics.

In the last couple of years, Mastered has assisted over 30 gaming studios, such as D3T, Sumo, Avalanche, and Radical Forge.

Radical Forge's COO, Alison Lacy, praised Mastered, saying, "Mastered are exceptional collaborators who genuinely understand the games industry’s challenges. They designed bootcamps that perfectly met our needs and improved both individual and team performance."

Lacy acknowledged the unique value of the mentors, noting that finding current, applicable external training has been a consistent hurdle in the games sector. Additionally, Mastered's flexible methods and ability to secure bootcamp funding played a crucial role in enabling the upskilling of more developers than anticipated.

Mastered offers specialized programs for senior studio staff, concentrating on skills such as enhancing or implementing pipelines, leadership enhancement, and strategic training aimed at boosting production efficiency, motivation, and team leadership.

According to Mastered CEO Perri Lewis, "This funding ensures senior leaders, engineers, and creative specialists can access world-class training without the customary financial barriers, maintaining the UK's leadership in gaming innovation."

Nick Poole, CEO of UKIE, stated: "The strength of the UK video games industry lies in the creativity and expertise of its workforce. Given the current pressures on studios, investing in senior skills is key to sustaining the sector's resilience and global competitiveness.

"Through UKIE's new Skills Network, we're collaborating with local government, industry partners, and educational bodies to make sure initiatives like Mastered's form part of a broader skill development strategy, enabling UK studios to consistently deliver top-tier games and generate opportunities nationally."

Studios seeking funding can apply via this online form.

Applications close in November 2025, with funding awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Developers situated in Brighton have access to complimentary business support and training opportunities.