British video games development studio Double Eleven will be literally expanding its footprint in Malaysia by occupying a bigger office space in Kuala Lumpur.
The Middlesbrough-headquartered awards-winning games developer and publisher will be investing £1 million (approx. RM5.68 million) in a new 12,500sqft office in KL and is seeking to expand its regional staff to more than 100. Launched in 2009, Double Eleven has worked with some of the world’s biggest games companies as well as global tech titans such as Microsoft. The bestselling titles they’ve worked on include Rust: Console Edition, Minecraft Dungeons, LEGO Harry Potter, Goat Simulator, Prison Architect and Crackdown 3.
The company underwent tremendous growth over the past year, going from a staff count of 80 in 2019 to hiring its 200th employee last year. On 21 January 2020, it announced the opening of its Malaysian studio in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Lee Hutchinson, founder of Double Eleven, the company chose to open its second base in Malaysia for its access to high-calibre talent and great ecosystem between the Malaysian government, universities, and businesses.
“Given its ambition, talent and wider business environment, Malaysia was the clear choice for us to expand in Asia and we’re committed to building a world class studio there. Working with our staff, we chose KL as our future home, where we’re building a truly unique, people-first workplace with cutting edge infrastructure. Our investment in the design and development of our new premises underscore our desire to always be a great place to work and our values: humanity, ambition and integrity,” he said.
Currently with 25 staff members, the Malaysian base outgrew the initial 1,000sqft co-working space with now securing a 12,500sqft space in Mid Valley Mega Mall Towers, to be filled with over 110 employees over the next two to three years.
The Kuala Lumpur team is working together with Double Eleven’s main teams to gain experience and will eventually take on their own projects in the future. Currently, the Malaysian studio’s core activities are focused on providing game development services such as quality assurance, coding, art, and design support.
Double Eleven’s expansion in Malaysia is greatly lauded and supported by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia’s lead digital economy agency. MDEC has helped Double Eleven establish its presence in the country since 2017, including helping incorporate Double Eleven Malaysia Sdn Bhd in 2018 and approving the company’s MSC Status application in 2020.
