Fylde digital graphics team set to grow after £350,000 investment

A Fylde coast digital effects studio has plans for expansion after securing a £350,000 investment and moving to a new HQ.
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Airship Images creates a range of hi-tech art projects for computer and console games such as Avengers, Baldur's Gate 3, and Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order.

The company, based at Jubilee House in Lytham, is at the forefront of research and development into new design and production techniques, such as realistic character and hair design, which has cemented its reputation as one of the leading artwork studios for the games industry.

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Airship Images was set up in 2008 by CEO Joseph Harford and has just moved its two offices from the Blackpool Enterprise Zone to the one large office in Lytham.

Simon Berry from FW Capital and Joseph Harford of Airship Images. Airship Images has moved to Lytham from Blackpool and has secured investment of £350,000 for expansionSimon Berry from FW Capital and Joseph Harford of Airship Images. Airship Images has moved to Lytham from Blackpool and has secured investment of £350,000 for expansion
Simon Berry from FW Capital and Joseph Harford of Airship Images. Airship Images has moved to Lytham from Blackpool and has secured investment of £350,000 for expansion

NPIF - FW Capital Debt Finance provided a £350,000 investment which will be used to recruit 11 new staff during the next 12 months taking the total headcount to 26.

Chief executive Joseph Harford said: “We work closely with studios to provide cutting edge technical art solutions and aim to exceed expectations on each project, pushing visual quality above the competition even under technical limitations.

Recruitment is vital to our growth strategy. We are working with major global gaming companies for some of the highest profile projects. We are seeing increased demand for our work and needed a substantial investment so that we can attract the best talent to join our team.

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We’re really looking forward to the launch of the new Playstation 5 and Xbox which opens new graphical possibilities that enable artists to produce work at unprecedented levels of realism. Our R&D team have pushed creative and technical boundaries to develop innovative techniques which advance the characters and environments we can create on screen.

“It was important to us to find the right investor. FW Capital have a long track record of supporting businesses in the creative and digital sector and we felt the really understood our business and the industry we work in. We’re really pleased to have them on board.”

FW Capital senior investment executive Simon Berry said: “Joe is incredibly passionate about his craft. In Airship he has built a profitable business with an impressive client list and plenty of prospects for future growth potential.

"NPIF is specifically designed to encourage job creation and we are pleased that we have been able to support another business with its expansion plans.”

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