A video game studio's "pioneer vision" that led it to Orlando is taking it to another fast-growing southeastern market: Nashville.
Adam Boyes, co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios LLC, announced Feb. 23 that his company will create 108 jobs in Music City in the next five years. Nashville will become Iron Galaxy's third office, in addition to its home base of Chicago and an office downtown Orlando.
"When we started in Chicago, there were only two small studios," Boyes told sister publication Nashville Business Journal. "It wasn't a burgeoning tech hub. Orlando was the same. We like to take a city by storm and develop local talent."
Of course, Iron Galaxy's appetite for growth isn't limited to the Volunteer State. The company is pursuing economic development incentives from the city of Orlando to expand the staff at its local studio.
Dozens of new Orlando jobs
The potential incentives agreement, which originally called for the creation of up to 45 jobs, now promises 90 new jobs over five years with an average annual wage of $77,700, according to a city agenda item. Plus, the firm expects to invest $3.75 million in build-out expenses and equipment over a five-year period as part of its expansion. In return, Iron Galaxy is eligible for up to $135,000 under the city's High Wage/High Value Job Creation Program.
The community redevelopment agency advisory board on Feb. 23 passed the agreement. Next, it will go in front of the Orlando City Council for a vote.
The potential to receive incentives was something the company considered when it first opened a location in Orlando in 2012, Iron Galaxy Studios' Co-CEO Chelsea Blasko previously told Orlando Business Journal. "It helped make the decision to open a physical studio in Orlando easier."
Iron Galaxy mainly does contract work for other video game companies, which means it's working on many games at once — more than 65 in its 13-year existence. Iron Galaxy also is creating its own game named "Rumbleverse." it's aiming for a release this year, but doesn’t have an exact date yet.
The 13-year-old firm already has 100-plus employees in Orlando and still is hiring, with 13 open positions locally that include staff accountant, project coordinator, senior graphics engineer, lead character artist and more. An uptick in video game play and sales in 2020 triggered rapid growth at Iron Galaxy, which hired more than 100 people between its Orlando office and Chicago headquarters between March 2020 and July 2021.
Music City sings to Iron Galaxy
As for Nashville, there was only one thing Boyes could not figure out on his scouting mission to in the Tennessee city: Where were all the video game developers?
"Nashville really sang to us. We were shocked it wasn't attracting more game developers. We kept scratching our head: 'Why hasn't anyone made a move yet?' " Boyes said. "We wouldn't mind being the ones to plant the first flag and hope we can turn it into a new video game hub for the future."
Executives trimmed an initial 20-city list to Nashville, New Orleans and Las Vegas. Boyes liked Nashville's relative centrality between Chicago and Orlando. Some current employees will relocate, while Boyes will look to recruit new hires from around the U.S. and overseas — as well as tapping the region's 20 colleges and universities.
"The vibrancy of the city will be a huge lighthouse for people wanting to experience a fantastic culture," Boyes said. "When you say Nashville, people's faces light up. That's what I love about it."
A spokesperson for Iron Galaxy declined to disclose the amount of incentives the company is receiving from the state and the Tennessee Valley Authority electric utility. A spokesperson for the state Department of Economic & Community Development also declined. The department normally posts such information on its website within a month of announcing a jobs deal.
OBJ Staff Writer Ryan Lynch contributed to this report.
Sign up here for The Beat, Orlando Inno’s free newsletter. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
