Keywords Studios opens the largest video game office in Silesia!

The new location in Katowice’s Global Office Park complex (Cavatina Holding) employs more than 1,000 people working on video games.

Keywords Studios is a leader in the video game industry, having provided a wide range of services to giants such as Ubisoft, Google, Nintendo, Microsoft and Electronic Arts since 1998. The company has over 70 studios strategically located in 23 countries on 5 continents. The largest office in Europe is the one located in the capital of Upper Silesia! The Katowice-based studio was established in July 2018 and in just four years has seen an impressive growth in employment from less than 50 to more than 1,000 people, working in three service lines: Functionality Quality Testing, Player Support and Localization Quality Assurance. The company’s rapid growth necessitated a search for a new facility that could meet Keywords Studios’ growing demand for office space.

The choice fell on the Global Office Park complex, Cavatina Holding‘s flagship project located in the centre of Katowice. The tenant was assisted in the transaction by the international consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield. The official handover of the new office space took place in recent days. The ribbon was cut by Keywords Studios Regional Managing Director Fulvio Sioli and First Deputy Mayor of Katowice City Bogumił Sobula. Representatives of the video game industry and the company’s local partners, such as the WSB University, the University of Economics in Katowice and the Vocational Education Centre in Katowice, among others, also graced the event with their presence.

Keywords Studios will occupy at least 9,300 m², making the company the largest tenant in tower A1 of the Global Office Park complex. In addition to comfortable workstations, the seven floors will offer many amenities for employees, including the latest consoles, billiards, gaming machines and even…. a slide!

“It has been both a short and a long journey. Short – because we started just four years ago and the organic growth to 1,000 employees, without any acquisitions, has been incredible. Long – because the number of things that have been achieved in this time is truly impressive!”, says Fulvio Sioli, Regional Managing Director of Keywords Studios.

Mayor of Katowice City Marcin Krupa points out that: “Katowice has long been associated with global gaming – not least by hosting Intel Extreme Masters since 2013. This event was one of the impulses for acting to launch a project that is unique on a national scale: Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub. Observing the development of Keywords Studios, I am convinced that the chosen course of action is correct. Thanks to such investors, we are managing to successfully carry out the ongoing transformation of the local economy by developing yet another specialised industry. It responds to the needs of the people of Katowice who are looking for new opportunities for development. I congratulate you on your growth and wish you further success!”

Player Support Manager Marek Niszkiewicz, who is responsible for launching the company’s Silesian branch, admits: “The Katowice City’s recognition of the potential of the video game industry and the support the city offers in promoting video games helped us to decide on the location of our venture. The dynamic growth of Keywords Studios in Silesia has been made possible largely due to the availability of local talent and the widespread interest in video games in the region. We now have great space in a new office building in the city centre, which provides excellent opportunities for further growth”.

FQA Regional Director Chris Bewick agrees: “This fantastic and modern facility is a worthy companion to complement our state of the art industry services. The building is also a testament to the hard work of all teams and departments. Keywords Studios Katowice deserves an excellent workplace that reflects our outstanding effort. Additionally, I’d like to thank the city of Katowice, our Partners and the teams of Cavatina Holding and Cushman & Wakefield”.

Located in Katowice’s Śródmieście district, Global Office Park is the first mixed-use project on such a large scale in Silesia. The 104-metre A1 tower, which houses the new Keywords Studios office, met the requirements of the international BREEAM certification at the Outstanding level, scoring maximum marks in the categories of water management and conservation as well as ecology and space utilisation.

“We place the utmost importance on providing a comfortable and healthy working or recreational environment for users of our facilities, while pursuing a strategy of reducing the property’s environmental impact. Global Office Park is not only an extremely modern, well-designed office building. It is first and foremost a mixed-use complex open to the city, enriching its infrastructure and supporting the changes taking place in the centre of Katowice. We are all the more pleased that such a dynamic and innovative company as Keywords Studios will be present in this complex – this will further strengthen the city-forming effect of our investment”, comments Sebastian Suchodolski, Head of Leasing at Cavatina Holding.

“The opportunity to be part of such a dynamic and creative project is a great distinction and honour for Cushman & Wakefield. We keep our fingers crossed for the next phases of our client’s development and are confident that such a finished office will perform excellently and respond to the expectations and needs of Keywords Studios’ employees”, says Agata Jaśniak, Negotiator at Cushman & Wakefield.