nDreams Academy: New Team, New Roles, And 50 Lifetime Hires!

Getting a foothold in the games industry is notoriously difficult.

Data from Games Jobs Live shows that entry-level gaming roles have made up only 2% of all open positions in 2023, which means that there are approximately 55 total vacancies for juniors across the entire UK games industry in an average month.

If that sounds like a lot, consider that in 2021, there were nearly 3,500 graduates of gaming courses in the UK – a number that is likely to be significantly higher in 2023.

But if it’s a challenge for graduates to get into games, the statistics paint an even tougher picture for non-graduates. 86% of the UK games industry workforce are reported to have to least one degree. 29% hold a post-graduate degree.

When we set up the nDreams Academy in 2021, we were aware of these challenges and we wanted to do our bit to improve things. The Academy is our dedicated initiative improving access to gaming careers, and we’ve been providing the pathway through apprenticeships, graduate hiring, paid internships, and much more.

We’re proud to report that the scheme has now inducted 50 team members into our brilliant industry, at an average rate of nearly two per month.

Not only that, they are sticking around to benefit from the upskilling and development that is also a major part of the Academy. Nearly 80% of those hired via the Academy have been promoted, with others moving on to different opportunities or returning to education after their fixed placements. The promotion rate rises to 99% when looking at those hired specifically in roles across nDreams’ four studios on game development teams, showing a real opportunity for aspiring developers to not only get into the industry, but to stay there.

We’re growing rapidly, hiring more than 70 people in 2023 so far to become the world’s biggest VR game developer and publisher, and the Academy is growing with us; 17% of nDreams’ 230-strong team have now been hired via the nDreams Academy, well above the industry standard.

There’s much more to come, though, and today we are announcing six brand new Academy vacancies to kick off the new era. We are encouraging both graduates and non-graduates to apply for these positions and there are also a range of locations on offer, with the new Academy openings spanning nDreams' Farnborough HQ, the fully-remote nDreams Studio Elevation, and Brighton's Near Light: an nDreams Studio.

The roles are as follows:

• Academy 3D Systems Programmer (nDreams Studio Elevation, remote)
• Academy Graphics Programmer (nDreams Studio, Farnborough, UK)
• Academy Network Engineer (nDreams Studio, Farnborough, UK)
• Academy Environment Artist (Near Light, Brighton, UK)
• Academy Programmer (Near Light, Brighton, UK)
• Academy Video Editor (nDreams Publishing, Farnborough, UK)

All this is being spearheaded by a refreshed recruitment team at nDreams. Lien Cross has joined us as nDreams’ new Early Careers Manager, bringing a decade of specialism in early careers and talent development from Surrey County Council. She is joined by incoming Head of Recruitment Katy Flynn, previously of Meta and Google, in a significant shake-up to match our ambitions. 

“As someone who began their career as an Apprentice, I understand the vital importance of different pathways to access this industry and develop within it,” says Lien. “I’m proud to be joining nDreams with the exciting mission to take the nDreams Academy even further, using my experience to help bring through the next generation of future games industry leaders.” 

If any of these roles appeal to you, or you know someone well-suited, please don’t hesitate to apply, get in touch or help spread the word!

There’s no doubt it’s an exciting time to join. Synapse, our flagship PlayStation VR2 exclusive, has been a chart-topping, critically-acclaimed hit described by Eurogamer as "Pure power fantasy… what VR is all about.” Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord and PowerWash Simulator VR are also launching in 2023.

You can learn more about the nDreams Academy and all its current vacancies here.

If you want to see our complete list of vacancies, we have 40+ roles available on our Careers page.