traveler
January 30th, 2007, 12:16 AM
Computer game cluster in Alentejo
Private investors plan a cluster for electronic games production at Portalegre in the Alentejo. The Portuguese electronic games association says it will turn a large farming estate in the middle of the Alentejo into the first Portuguese centre for electronic games design by 2012 . First phase will involve two gaming companies setting up at Game City - Portalegre. According to Paulo Gomes, chairman of Aproje-Associação de Produtores de Jogos Electrónicos, Game City is a two-phase operation. It will be based on a 400ha herdade or estate and apart from firms authoring and marketing games, will be the headquarters of Game Park, Portugal’s first leisure park dedicated to virtual-reality outdoor games. This is designed, in time, to become a major tourist attraction. The site will provide infrastructure for national and international companies encouraged to set up and create electronic games. Game Invest, a subsidiary which will co-ordinate and establish Game City, is to be incorporated by June and act as an Investment Fund and incubator for video-games businesses setting up in the area. Start-up capital is €2.5 million, 1% held by Aproje, 30% by two venture capital funds and Portalegre businesses and 19% by several national investors.
Private investors plan a cluster for electronic games production at Portalegre in the Alentejo. The Portuguese electronic games association says it will turn a large farming estate in the middle of the Alentejo into the first Portuguese centre for electronic games design by 2012 . First phase will involve two gaming companies setting up at Game City - Portalegre. According to Paulo Gomes, chairman of Aproje-Associação de Produtores de Jogos Electrónicos, Game City is a two-phase operation. It will be based on a 400ha herdade or estate and apart from firms authoring and marketing games, will be the headquarters of Game Park, Portugal’s first leisure park dedicated to virtual-reality outdoor games. This is designed, in time, to become a major tourist attraction. The site will provide infrastructure for national and international companies encouraged to set up and create electronic games. Game Invest, a subsidiary which will co-ordinate and establish Game City, is to be incorporated by June and act as an Investment Fund and incubator for video-games businesses setting up in the area. Start-up capital is €2.5 million, 1% held by Aproje, 30% by two venture capital funds and Portalegre businesses and 19% by several national investors.