Games firm wins Dragons' Den-style contest

Start-up videogames firm Lo-Jen has won a Dragons' Den-style competition which searched for the hottest gaming talent in the North-East of England.

Set up by Teesside University graduates Caleb Lowe and Tom Jenns, along with University of East Anglia graduate Jesse Roberts, the group took first place after beating off strong competition from five other start-up firms.

The Game Academy competition, which was run by games industry firm Codeworks GameHorizon, saw local graduates and companies pitch ideas to an expert panel, which included Pete O'Donnell, chief games designer for leading UK publisher Codemasters; Tom O'Connor from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE); Darren Jobling, director of business development at Gateshead-based driving game specialist Eutechnyx; and Tony Parkes, executive producer at Midway's Newcastle studio.

Lo-Jen, who pitched an idea for a remix of the classic turn-based strategy game aimed at the handheld market, impressed the judges with its strong and commercially viable proposition, winning the trio a training and mentoring package worth more than £2,000.

Managing director of Lo-Jen Jesse Roberts, 22, said: "Winning Game Academy is an important step for Lo-Jen. The chance to get in front of industry professionals, to take on board their criticism is extremely useful, and to win is a satisfying validation of our ideas.

"We hope the prestige of winning this award will give our games and our company a major boost as we seek to break into the market."

Operations director of Lo-Jen Caleb Lowe, 21, added: "We're surprised and thrilled to win the competition against some big local names.

"The feedback on the day from the likes of SCEE and Codemasters was fantastic, but to win the additional mentoring package means we'll have expert support to help turn our ideas into reality."

Nina Cliff, business development manager of Codeworks GameHorizon, awarded the prize to Lo-Jen. She said: "Game Academy helps these talented businesses ensure their products are up-to-scratch by giving them invaluable experience of a live pitch situation and feedback from industry experts.

"What's more, the format has already proven successful. Last year's winner, Teesside University graduate Jeremiah Alexander, used his prize to set up an educational games company, Babel Digital."