“We are continuing to build a talent-based country, by giving our youth all the opportunities in innovative fields.” This was the message from the Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Silvio Schembri, during the launch of the ‘Unreal Engine Education Pathways’ project.
This programme aims to increase the potential of youth in our country and open the doors wide for them to the video game development industry, through training in the game engine, Unreal Engine. This initiative, in collaboration with the international company Epic Games, through software used for creating video games Unreal Engine, is part of the Government’s effort to continue strengthening technological and creative skills in Malta, while opening new horizons for the digital and immersive content economy. Epic Games is the brain behind several popular video games including Fortnite.
This initiative is being carried out under the Interactive Media Academy, which forms part of the work of Gaming Malta, to ensure that training is practical, driven by industry experience and aligned with the needs of future jobs. The Interactive Media Academy will offer collaboration with major companies in this field who will offer masterclasses led by industry professionals.
Minister Schembri recalled that, “It was in 2019 that we launched a strategy for video game development and esports, new economic niches, which we believed in. We promised then that we would invest in our youth so that they have a future in these industries and that is what we are doing. Today we already have a strong ecosystem made up of many companies as well as workers operating in the field of Video Game Development and eSports.”
“This initiative is part of the vision that Malta will not only be a participant in the digital sector, but will be an example. We are building a future based on Maltese value, knowledge and creativity. All of this is also an integral part of the Malta 2050 Vision – the Government’s long-term plan to build an economic model based on innovation, added value and talent. In this Vision, Malta is placing sectors such as gaming, interactive media and digital creativity at the centre of future economic development. Malta believes in its youth. We are not only creating opportunities for them, but we are building a sustainable economy that will help them reach their full potential right here in their own country,” concluded Minister Schembri.
Ivan Filletti, CEO of Gaming Malta added that, “Education and the growth of new economic niches go hand in hand. Only in this way can we prepare future generations to be part of the ever-developing digital economy. Today, as Gaming Malta, we have taken an important step in this direction in the field of digital gaming by officially introducing the path to training on one of the largest game engines in the world – Unreal Engine – by Epic Games.”
Photos (MEEP)
