The Digital Media Works incubator unit supported by NORIBIC – the Northern Ireland Business Innovation Centre – and located at the North West Regional College, already has a number of high-achieving media companies under its wing.

But NORIBIC's chief executive Dr Barney Toal sees huge potential for expansion.

Growth opportunity

He said: "NORIBIC views the digital media sector as an important growth opportunity for the economy of the North West. It has a global perspective yet is developed locally, it is knowledge-based, it has a high added value - all of the desired attributes of a strong economy.

"The computer gaming industry worldwide is larger than the Hollywood film industry. If you think of the current budget spent annually on training - over £8bn in the UK alone - the serious gaming market alone, as an alternative to the chalk 'n' talk approach favoured of old, offers considerable opportunity for the small games company.

"These are huge markets. What NORIBIC seeks to do is to create a feeder platform to send small but viable, excellent creative industry businesses out into the marketplace through our incubator. Our plans would envisage a tenfold increase in the size of our incubation facilities to 20,000 sq ft, capable of housing over 150 skilled workers in the digital creative industry sector, within a business and technology supportive environment that will truly put the North West on the creative map.

Support for a feeder system such as this should be viewed as paramount to any aspirations for Derry as a Digital Hub."