The Ward Hadaway North East Fastest 50 Awards, organised in partnership with The Journal, celebrate the region’s fastest-growing companies, championing their success.
This year, Middlesbrough-based video gaming developer and publisher Double Eleven won the fastest-growing large business of the year award.
We spoke to finance and commercial director Kimberley Turner, as well as Ward Hadaway’s Jamie Gamble, about the company’s growth and how it’s established itself as a leader in the video gaming industry.
Continued organic growth
“If you told me a decade ago that Double Eleven would be the studio responsible for bringing Red Dead Redemption to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Kimberley Turner.
“We started in mobile gaming but we’ve worked incredibly hard to grow our operations significantly. We now work with some of the biggest gaming brands in the world, not only developing games for PCs and consoles but publishing them too.
“Our reputation for being a trusted and safe pair of hands with an extremely talented team has been fundamental to our continued organic growth.”
Employee benefits and initiatives
And just like the games it produces, the success of Double Eleven has been nothing short of meteoric.
Shifting from being only a video gaming service provider to self-publisher and licensing games for the consoles market, Double Eleven recorded a 455 per cent growth rate in turnover to £50m between September 2020 and September 2022.
Kimberley continued: “We’ve gone from a handful of people in an attic to a state-of-the-art office in Middlesbrough employing nearly 380 people. And the vast majority of our team, around 260 people, are based in Middlesbrough or the wider North East.
"It’s something we’re very proud of and we work hard to develop and retain our talented people through continuous professional development and a wide range of employee benefits and initiatives.”
People-focused culture
If there’s one aspect of the business that Double Eleven never falters on it is employee care and the people-focused culture at the company.
It has won several ‘Best Place to Work’ awards for its employee initiatives which have included financial support to help every team member with the cost-of-living crisis.
“Looking after our team is our number one priority as they are our most valuable asset,” explained Kimberley.
“We're not just a business, we're a people-first organisation and we work hard to ensure every team member feels valued and supported.
“Our efforts to bring the team together through a wide range of social and wellbeing initiatives are more than just having some time out from the day-to-day, they're about building a community.
"We constantly strive to enhance our benefits and our employee turnover is very low so we must be doing something right.”
Well-deserved recognition
Established in 2010, the company has played a pivotal role in developing several major gaming hits since its inception, such as Minecraft Dungeons and a new version of Red Dead Redemption.
Jamie Gamble, a Partner in the Employment team at Ward Hadaway, said: “Huge congratulations to Double Eleven on their well-deserved recognition as the largest fastest-growing business at this year’s Fastest 50 Awards.
“The company’s remarkable journey and achievements are a testament to its innovative spirit and dedication to originality.
“Double Eleven's ability to constantly evolve and lead in the competitive global gaming industry is impressive and its focus on people's wellbeing is inspirational.
“This dedication to the overall wellbeing of their team members not only enhances productivity but also reflects a strong sense of community within the organisation.
“We look forward to seeing their continued impact and growth in the North East and beyond.”
Find out more?
For further information about Ward Hadaway and the North East Fastest 50 Awards, see www.wardhadaway.com
