Mike Gamble is Head of Game Licensing EMEA for leading games and technology creator Epic Games and a visiting professor at Staffordshire University.
Mike’s career in the games industry began in 1990, after ten years in a variety of roles at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), part of the Ministry of Defence. Over the next 25 years, Mike was part of the rapidly evolving gaming world, taking jobs as a producer, evangelist, product developer and director at leading games creators such at Sega, Microsoft, THQ and Crytek.
In a rapidly evolving industry, the development of 3D technology and its application within interactive entertainment was a particular area that Mike has championed throughout his career. He said: “Through the ‘90s the industry became more professional and my engineering skills transferred well. The emergence of GPUs and the rise of consoles cemented the change from 2D to 3D-driven gaming, which brought about the global entertainment giant of today.”
In 2011, Mike joined Epic Games, where he is responsible for European licensing and marketing for their Unreal Engine. The engine is a leading software framework used to create video games for consoles, PC, virtual reality and mobile devices – in addition to a sea of non-gaming applications. Unreal Engine is the building block for many titles, including Epic’s own Paragon, Fortnite, Unreal Tournament and SPYJiNX, as well as numerous third-party games. Mike first visited Staffordshire University in 2012 and became a visiting professor the following year, providing invaluable feedback on student projects and lecturing on careers in the games industry.
In 2014, he forged a unique partnership with the University to launch The Epic Games Centre, a state-of-the-art facility with 85 high-end computers to nurture future industry developers studying games design courses. The centre is now a major European base for computer games teaching and training in Epic Games’ engine technology.
The award of Honorary Doctor of the University is bestowed upon Mike in recognition of his contribution to the computer games industry and collaborative work with The Epic Games Centre. It also recognises his work as a visiting professor and his support of Staffordshire University students.