Geordie games firm is riding high

A video games developer based in the North-East of England is making the international gaming industry stand up and take notice after seeing two of its games riding high in the UK charts.

Award-winning Eutechnyx, which specialises in creating vehicle-based games, has turned hit MTV show Pimp My Ride and Hollywood blockbuster The Fast and the Furious into videogames for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Brian Jobling, managing director of Gateshead-based Eutechnyx, said: "It’s great that two of our products are doing so well in the national charts. And it’s a double success in more ways than one because it is a real achievement for a company to have two products so high in the charts at the same time.

"The Fast and the Furious and Pimp My Ride were both developed for Californian publishers and have now been successful on both sides of the Atlantic.

"We are really pleased with the success the company is enjoying, and looking at the bigger picture, Eutechnyx, which is a member of both Codeworks Connect and Games Horizon, is helping put the region’s videogames market further on the national and international map."

Andy Walton, eBusiness Manager at One NorthEast, said: "You generally find that it’s businesses from Japan and America that dominate the videogames market, so it’s great that Eutechnyx can boast two games riding high in the UK charts.

"On top of that, Pimp My Ride is also enjoying success in the Australian Games Charts, so the company is really helping put itself and the North East on the international map."

To produce the Pimp My Ride game, Eutechnyx staff travelled to Los Angeles to work with rap star Xzibit, the star of the TV show, and its US publisher and producer.

Brian Jobling added: "We have an excellent staff at Eutechnyx who worked day and night to make these products a big success, and we are delighted that this has been reflected in the charts."

Eutechnyx currently employs over 80 staff at its studios in Gateshead, Hong Kong and mainland China, and the firm is planning to expand its team in the near future.