Ideas become impact through collaboration. (Industry briefs)
Whether you’re an artist, researcher, entrepreneur, educator, community organisation or industry partner, we work alongside you to explore ideas, develop creative solutions and create lasting impact.

Services & Consultancy
KE services designed and delivered with partners across education & industry.
CPD & Consultancy
Education and creative engagement
Brand partnerships
Music Tech and engineering
Studios
Creative Health

AC[M] is committed to fostering an inclusive, dynamic, and internationally recognised research culture that reflects the expertise and creative practice of its academic community. Many AC[M] staff hold doctoral qualifications and are actively engaged in post-doctoral research, producing high-quality publications and practice-based outputs that generate new knowledge, drive practical and technological innovation, and advance professional practice.
Through the continual expansion of its research capacity, strengthened cross-institutional collaborations, and participation in international dissemination events, AC[M] is enhancing its global research profile and reputation. These strategic developments aim to position the institution to make a strong and competitive submission to the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF 2036) while supporting sustained research excellence beyond.

The ACM Games Incubator

From idea to industry.
The Games Incubator is where a great idea stops being a project and starts being a product.
A structured support system that helps selected graduates and early-stage teams take a game from first concept through to something playable, polished, and ready for the market or an investor’s desk. Entry isn’t automatic: it’s for graduates who’ve already shown the drive, skill, and follow-through to back an idea all the way. In return, they get career-ready skills, industry connections, and a foothold in the sector that a degree alone doesn’t provide. Think of it as the space between “graduate” and “studio founder”: all the ambition of a real launch, with the scaffolding and network to help you get there.

True studio structure. Design, art, audio, programming, and production integrate, not work in silos, mirroring how real studios actually operate.
A portfolio that stands out. A launched or launch-ready title tells an employer far more than any qualification could on its own.
The business side, demystified. Budgeting, marketing, platform requirements, IP and legal basics, pitching to funders and publishers — the parts of the industry your degree rarely touches.
A route into founding your own studio. For graduates who want to build a company rather than join one, the Incubator is the closest thing to real-world practice available, with ambitions to incubate new studios.
A genuine network. Selected teams get direct access to industry contacts, mentors, and peers — relationships that outlast the programme itself.
Recognition for standing out. Places go to graduates who’ve already demonstrated real drive and craft
For employers and industry
A genuine talent pipeline.
A recruitment and investment pool. Incubator teams have the potential to be hired intact, acquired, or backed for further development.

What the Incubator sets out to achieve
Commercial and market outcomes
A genuinely sellable or investor-ready game — not a portfolio exercise
Real market validation, testing audience appeal before full resource commitment
A clear pipeline toward funding, publishing deals, or platform release (Steam, console certification, mobile stores)
Talent and team development
Hybrid professionals who understand production realities across every discipline
Entrepreneurial skills — pitching, budgeting, IP awareness — developed alongside craft
Real studio dynamics: deadlines, scope negotiation, accountability, iteration under feedback
Economic outcomes
A measurable contribution to local creative-industry growth
A position for the institution as an active contributor to the games sector — not just a training provider

The Incubator exists to close the gap between making a game and making it in the games industry. We are nurturing new business, building industry connections and servicing briefs from a broad range of sectors.

Commercial services at metropolis – from brand partnerships to studio bookings, (link to metropolis website)

Studio Hire
Mastering
Event design and support
Brand partnerships
Live to Vinyl

Link to website: