15/11/2022

Dryden Enterprise Centre

Game studio with $10m backing calls DEC home

Hailed as the 'Pixar of online games' take a look inside the world of Lava Labs

Lava Labs is a games developer currently building their debut title: ‘A Far Away Realm’. AFAR hosts a series of fun-first games that roll up as a metaverse. Imagine ‘Fall Guys with guns on Web 3.0’. If that sounds like your bag then you’ll want to follow the incredible world being built by Lava Labs. 

A small and agile team, Lava Labs are spread across offices in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, with other talent making their contributions remotely. For their UK base Lava Labs chose the Dryden Enterprise Centre as a home for their team, renting one our premium office spaces in the heart of NTU‘s city campus. 

Why did Lava choose the DEC?

So, what do our serviced office spaces at the Dryden Enterprise Centre (DEC) offer for growing and scaling businesses like Lava Labs?  

Here are just a few of our favourite things: 

  • State-of-the-art facilities – our Nottingham premium office spaces are fully furnished with high-end specialist office furniture. 
  • Super-fast and super-secure WiFi – expect standard speeds of around 180 Mbps upload and 180 Mbps download. 
  • Central location – You’ll find us in the heart of Nottingham City Centre. We’re in the jazzy building on Dryden Street, adjacent to the Dryden Centre and opposite Bonnington Gallery. 
  • Creative hub – We have a magnificent blend of businesses across sectors who can access our free business support and complimentary community events, including wellness sessions, collaboration hours and – of course – fromage Friday! 
  • Aligning values – We support a flexible work culture, which is why the Dryden Enterprise Centre is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Chief Technology Officer, Ed Morley, said: ‘It’s a privilege to work with such an incredible team of game developers, investors, advisors and partners on a game that had me hooked from the moment I saw the first concepts. 

Being a part of such a creative, collaborative, and positive community means we’re never at a loss for inspiration. And working out of one of the premium office spaces with ultra-fast Wi-Fi suits us perfectly – our every need is catered for, and Katrina and the team are always on hand to offer their assistance or a great chat.’ 

Premium office space at the Dryden Enterprise Centre

What is A Far Away Realm?  

The blurb for the game sounds as exciting as the game’s visuals… 

AFAR is a competitive multiplayer game where 25 players compete against each other across four rounds of 4-minute bouts. 

As an AFARIAN roaming the AFAR Universe, you’ll get access to: 

  • PVP game – a ‘level-based platform shooter’, where players race, shoot and platform over rounds to collect points and cross the finish line – catching the next spaceship leaving the planet. 
  • Mine game – A Play-for-Fun-and-Earn blockchain-based mining game – use mine mechanics and upgrade systems to earn NFT rewards. 
  • Social hub – Uniting players across games in one social space. Make friends and share your tales from the AFAR universe. 
AFAR concept artwork

A $10 million injection 

Interest from investors has come flooding through for A Far Away Realm. Their most recent celebrations came after the game development studio managed to raise over $10m to further its development of the AFAR universe. 

The funding led by Dialectic saw support from big names in the blockchain gaming space, such as Makers Fund, Animoca Brands, Razer Computer, Weak Simp Cap, Dapper Labs and Maven11. 

A brief history of game development in Nottingham 

Nottingham has a rich history of game development, with some of the biggest players basing their operations in the city. Such names include Deep Silver Dambuster Studios, Free Radical Design, Games Workshop, Sumo Digital and Team17. 

And let’s not forget that the East Midlands is the birthplace of Lara Croft! 

So, if you’re looking for a premium office space in Nottingham, please do get in touch. Our friendly team are always on hand to help up-and-coming businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. 

And if the sound of AFAR tickles your fancy, check out the trailer here.

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