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PHOENIX EQUITY PARTNERS INVESTS IN UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING
Taking video game services to the next level!
03/03/2021
We’re thrilled to announce that Phoenix Equity Partners is investing in Universally Speaking.
Phoenix has invested alongside Founder and CEO, Vickie Peggs, and will work closely with Vickie and her team to support the company’s continued growth amid the rapid expansion of the video gaming industry.
Universally Speaking provides clients with quality assurance, playtesting, audio, and localisation services, using cutting-edge technology and automated workflow systems to ensure a secure, seamless service.
Trusted by many of the world’s leading games publishers, Universally Speaking continues to support the biggest and best games in the industry as the gold standard for providing services – working across all time zones, shaping games across all platforms, becoming an extension of the developers, studios, and publishers at a greater scale than ever before.
In recent years, Universally Speaking has seen rapid growth that brought about the biggest expansion of its studio portfolio yet. Phoenix’s investment will support and drive our ambitious plans for continued growth, including through the development of new services and international expansion. We couldn’t be more excited for the future!
Vickie Peggs, Founder and CEO of Universally Speaking, said: “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved with Universally Speaking and now, with the support of Phoenix, we can look forward to doing even more. Phoenix has huge experience in partnering with entrepreneurial businesses such as ours and I’m looking forward to working with the team as we take Universally Speaking through its next stage of development.”
Mark Sargeant, Partner at Phoenix Equity Partners, said: “Universally Speaking is a fast-growing and innovative company serving a first-class customer base in a thriving industry. We are delighted that Vickie has entrusted us to partner with her to grow a business she has built from scratch and we look forward to embarking on this journey together.”
Further details to be announced at a later date.
18/12/2020
As 2020 draws to a close, we’re moved to reflect on what has been a truly unprecedented year. The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating for many across the world and required extraordinary resolve from each and every one of us.
2020 has forever changed the way we make and support games. As a sector, we saw the adoption of all-new working practices (WFH) shake up the way we build, support, and distribute our games – and we, unfortunately, saw our conventions, trade shows, and game-jams close their doors to the physical world.
But we also saw the industry come together as one: steadfast friends, all in it together. We saw the tangible value in games as a social platform and how important they can be in supporting positive mental health, as well as our connections with the people we love.
For us at Universally Speaking, it was no different, it was a year thwart with challenges, but with challenge comes innovation. New ways of working were rapidly identified and established to ensure all game projects, worldwide, were kept fully resourced and on-track. This was achieved by working tirelessly in collaboration with our internal teams and external partners.
We now work at a scale never before seen at Universally Speaking. This meant we were able to support the sector further by welcoming in over one hundred and fifty new people who helped us grow our AAA partner-base significantly.
These wonderful talents joined our award-winning QA and Localisation teams and contributed to our biggest year yet. In the past 6 months alone, we have supported some of the most anticipated and iconic AAA titles launching on next gen consoles. Alongside that, we have continued to support the current generation’s offering with this summer’s most acclaimed and celebrated franchises.
Thanks to the dedication shown by our teams, we’re ready to face 2021 with renewed vigour and clear goals to continue delivering exceptional QA, Localisation, and Audio services that help make your games the best that they can be.
Until then, we wish you a happy, restful, and safe holiday period. Keep making great things happen!
We couldn’t be more thrilled to see the incredible games from some of our amazing partners nominated for The Game Awards this year!
19/11/2020
At Universally Speaking, we have the immense privilege of working with some of the greatest creative talent in the industry, and as we approach the end of the year the time comes to celebrate that work with the annual Game Awards show.
We want to extend a special congratulations to some of our partners up for a variety of awards this year:
Spelunky 2 (Mossmouth, Blitworks) is up for BEST INDIE
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games) is up for BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT
NBA 2K21 (Visual Concepts, 2K Games) is up for BEST SPORTS
Röki (Polygon Treehouse, CI Games) is up for BEST DEBUT GAME
Universally Speaking nominated for three awards at the TIGA Awards 2020!
03/11/2020
Following on from the Develop:Star award announcement last month, Universally Speaking has also been nominated for three TIGA Awards.
– BEST QA PROVIDER
– BEST AUDIO SERVICES SUPPLIER
– OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP
As we continue to navigate our way through this incredibly difficult year, there still remains cause for celebration with the recognition of the industry’s best and boldest talent continuing to deliver exemplary work to millions across the world.
See the full list of finalists here.
Universally Speaking nominated for BEST QA & LOCALISATION PROVIDER at the Develop:Star Awards 2020!
07/10/2020
Universally Speaking continues to be recognised for its multi-award-winning services with a nomination for BEST QA & LOCALISATION PROVIDER at the Develop:Star Awards.
COVID-19 continues to present more than its share of challenges, and so we may not be able to meet in person as we normally do each year, but by no means will that stop the recognition of the contributions that people have continued to make in the industry in these times.
Company CCO, Tim Horton, said: “Every year we give ourselves higher aspirations and we’ve managed to make huge strides in 2020 to expand Universally Speaking, broadening our partnerships with more of the gaming industry’s leading publishers and studios. It’s been a real privilege to work with them on the latest and greatest games that are helping to keep people entertained at home.”
Our friends and partners at Mossmouth and Blitworks have released the highly-anticipated sequel to 2008’s beloved hit Spelunky, to rave reviews!
16/09/2020
Spelunky returns in this greatly-expanded sequel to the original roguelike platformer! Meet the next generation of explorers as they find themselves on the Moon, searching for treasure and missing family. Spelunky 2 builds upon the unique, randomised challenges that made the original a classic, offering a huge adventure designed to satisfy players old and new. Explore the game alone, play locally with up to four players, or, for the first time, join up with friends online to unravel its mysteries together (or battle it out in competitive Arena modes).
A bigger world, all new features and ways to interact with the world, improved physics, lighting, and effects – Spelunky 2 is the fast-paced 2D action roguelike you’ve been waiting for.
We had the pleasure of working on the Localisation for this particular title and seeing the love it’s been getting both at home and across European territories has been absolutely marvellous!
Spelunky 2 is available now on PlayStation 4, and is coming to Steam on Septmeber 29th.
We’re tremendously proud of the titles we have worked on over the years, and this month is a particularly special one as it marks the release anniversary of three landmark games…
11/08/2020
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games) was released August 9th 2016 and gave players an infinite universe to explore, with eleven free updates (and counting) dropping over the last four years which brought all new mechanics, vehicles, ships, creatures, activities, co-op and even VR.
Recently, No Man’s Sky came to Xbox Game Pass which has opened its universe up to more players than ever before!
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory) released August 8th 2017, following the story of a Pict warrior, Senua, who embarks on a quest to rescue the soul of her dead lover from Helheim.
The game has won numerous awards for its depiction of psychosis and is widely thought of as one of those landmark moments in video game storytelling, a truly unexpected experience that comes along and sweeps you away with something really quite special.
Control (Remedy Entertainment) released August 27th 2019 and revolves around a secret US government agency (the Federal Bureau of Control) who study and deal with reality-bending phenomena. As Jesse Faden, you explore the Oldest House and utilise powerful paranormal abilities to combat the Hiss, a deadly enemy that has been unleashed and is corrupting everything it touches.
The upcoming anniversary of Control will be met with its second and final expansion, ‘AWE’ – a tie-in with Remedy’s much-loved Alan Wake.
We’re tremendously proud to have contributed to the making of these games, and wish the teams at Hello Games, Ninja Theory, and Remedy Entertainment all the very best!
Our friends and partners at Polygon Treehouse, United Label, and CI Games have released the much-anticipated Röki today!
23/07/2020
Röki is an adventure game inspired by Scandinavian folklore – a dark contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, an alluring art style, ancient puzzles and atmospheric exploration.
Join Tove on a fantastical journey to save her family; one that takes her deep into a hidden, long forgotten world of folklore, filled with strange locations and even stranger creatures.
Explore the ancient wilderness, solve its mysteries, and save your family in this modern adventure game for all.
We’ve been supporting Röki on the QA front and we couldn’t be more delighted to see it release. Röki will throw you into a dark fairytale world and tug on your heartstrings, engaging you with imaginative puzzles and exciting monsters.
Starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, and Lindsay Wagner.
14/07/2020
From Kojima Productions and the legendary mind of Hideo Kojima, in partnership with our friends at 505 Games, Death Stranding has released on PC.
Death Stranding presents a world where people are accustomed to living in isolation, and the player’s goal is to reunite the disparate cities and bridge the divisions by forging connections with others.
We had the pleasure of supporting the Localisation for Death Stranding, helping this game to forge even greater connections by bringing this experience to an international audience.
A huge congratulations to Tara for this awesome achievement in supporting our friends at SpecialEffect!
07/07/2020
Tara set off at 9am on Sunday 5th July and raised £550, which goes towards the incredible charity effort of SpecialEffect to open up gaming for players with disabilities and push for increased awareness of accessibility in the industry.
The British 10K is SpecialEffect’s longest standing fundraising event. Back in the day, a hardcore group of games industry professionals made something of a name for themselves by completing the race dressed as their favourite video games characters – a tradition that has continued to this day.
15/06/2020
This year, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic social distancing measures, SpecialEffect have taken this event virtual! You can learn more here.
We’ll be setting off at 9am on Sunday 5th July, on our own local routes.
If you would like to support us, please donate – we want to raise as much as possible for such an incredible charity!
The latest information on Universally Speaking.
June 2020
We have brought about the biggest expansion of our studio portfolio ever – on-boarding one-hundred new members of the Universally Speaking family in the last month.
Our in-studio and WFH team strategies have enabled us to continue supporting the industry in helping to bring players around the world the next generation of entertainment.
What this all means is: We can support you now, across QA, Localisation, and Audio.
Scalable QA teams
High-capacity localisation
Audio – across all vertical needs
We hope that by continuing to support the sector in this proactive way, we are enabling you to keep your teams in work, your players happy, and people safe in their homes playing your games.
As we continue to navigate our way through this unprecedented time, we wanted to share an update of how we have been able to react, adapt, and continue to support not only our valued partners, but many more game studios in need of QA, Localisation, and Audio provision throughout the C-19 crisis.
15/04/2020
We have taken extraordinary action that has allowed us to continue to work at scale from our offices during lockdown. These actions have ensured that we are perfectly situated to continue working unabated, regardless of any continuation of lockdown.
Our working practices have been revised and modified to allow core teams to continue to support all verticals within our service delivery. We have been able do this by expanding our studio portfolio by 80%, spreading our teams throughout the facilities, utilising independent cleaning teams, and implementing strict and uncompromising H&S working practices.
Our collaboration with both the UK government and the World Health Organisation has been integral in ensuring that we have been able to continue working from our offices, supporting our partners.
In addition, this has allowed us to extend our service offering to more and more new clients.
The above means that we have expanded our recruitment strategy and are providing many talented individuals with a plethora of fantastic career opportunities. And, it continues, we are still taking on new talents, so if you are interested do get in touch with our teams.
In addition to the traditional in-house model, we have implemented a parallel workflow model that runs under our now tried-and-tested remote access model (WFH). This revolutionary new workflow has been rigorously crafted, tested, and successfully implemented and approved by many of our tier-1 partners.
International leader in QA, Localization, and Audio services, Universally Speaking continues to consolidate its place at the forefront of the mobile industry as they win BEST QA & LOCALIZATION SERVICE PROVIDER at the prestigious Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2020.
23/01/2020
Rounding off the international B2B games industry conference, PGC London, the Mobile Games Awards celebrates the very best developers, publishers and service providers across the global mobile industry. Now in its third iteration, the 2020 edition took place at the exquisite Café de Paris in the heart of Piccadilly Circus, Central London.
The Mobile Games Awards always delivers a memorable night of celebration for the great confluences of talent in the industry, where Universally Speaking faced strong competition to bring home the BEST QA & LOCALIZATION SERVICE PROVIDER 2020 Award.
A delighted CCO, Tim Horton, said “We are incredibly proud to receive this award, one which is a true testament to the hard work and dedication shown by all our incredibly talented mobile-specific teams at Universally Speaking. 2019 proved another fantastic year for the mobile gaming industry, and we cannot wait to support our clientele family and the wider sector at the highest level throughout 2020 and beyond.”
Universally Speaking is the globally trusted QA, Localization, and Audio provider for the gaming industry. Supporting the platform holders, publishing giants, AAA developers, and the up-and-coming independents, we offer scalable and tailor-made solutions for every title.
For more information about how Universally Speaking can support your next title, get in touch at:
Universally Speaking is delighted to announce the appointment of James Cubitt to General Manager.
07/01/2020
A passionate and inspirational leader, James has been at the very forefront of games QA for over 13 years. During this time, James has witnessed and adapted to the countless new QA challenges faced by an ever-evolving industry. From the advent and triumph of mobile gaming, to the latest innovations in AR and VR, James has spearheaded Universally Speaking’s QA initiative for well over a decade.
Now in his new operational role, James will continue to ensure our core value of high-quality is maintained across the board, as Universally Speaking continues to grow from strength to ever-growing strength.
On his recent appointment and of the exciting future of Universally Speaking, James remarked:
“I am delighted to be joining the operational team here at Universally Speaking. Throughout my 13 years (now I am starting to feel old!) with the company, I have always strived hard to ensure my team is able to provide the very best in quality. In these exciting times ahead, I look forward to maintaining this mindset across the company.”
Universally Speaking provides world-leading QA, Localization and Audio solutions to the video gaming industry. Supporting the platform makers, global publishers, and up-and-coming indie studios in-between, Universally Speaking has the scope, scalability and capacity to provide bespoke solution packages, at every level.
For more information about how Universally Speaking can support your next title, get in touch at:
International leader in QA, Localization, and Audio services, Universally Speaking continues to consolidate its place at the forefront of industry innovation as they win BEST SERVICES PROVIDER at the prestigious TIGA Games Industry Awards 2019.
05/12/2019
Last month, the gaming industry gathered in London beneath the 25.2-metre-long skeleton of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling of the Natural History Museum (her name is Hope) for one of the industry’s biggest and most prestigious awards ceremonies.
The TIGA Games Industry Awards always delivers a memorable night of celebration for the great confluences of talent in the industry; Universally Speaking faced strong competition in four categories to bring home the BEST SERVICES PROVIDER 2019 Award.
A thrilled CCO, Tim Horton, said “We’ve been recognised consistently in these categories for several years running now, which is truly an affirmation of the quality our teams provide to every single game they work on through their tireless dedication. Last year, we said that we would continue to innovate and exceed expectations, and our amazing clients continue to give our teams the opportunity to provide the best quality in the industry for some of the biggest and best games. To be recognised for that is such a wonderful and humbling affirmation of our continued growth. We can’t wait to step it up even further next year!”
Universally Speaking is the globally trusted QA, Localisation, and Audio provider for the gaming industry. Supporting the platform holders, multi-national AAA conglomerates, and the up-and-coming independents, we offer scalable and tailor-made solutions for every title.
For more information about how Universally Speaking can support your next title, get in touch at:
10/10/2019
It’s World Mental Health Day, a day to highlight the education and awareness of mental health across the world.
Launching today, Safe In Our World (www.safeinourworld.org) is a new mental health charity for the video games industry with the aim of raising awareness of mental health issues among gamers and creators, affecting positive change within the industry, and we are immensely proud to be announcing our support of it. We are honoured to have our own CEO Vickie Peggs as one of the charity’s founding trustees!
Over 2.2 billion people – almost a third of the entire population of the world – play video games, and one in four people are globally affected by mental health issues. Safe In Our World aims to drive forward initiatives to support and help players around the world.
The mission is to create an online destination where people can seek help, gain access to resources and information, and discover stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry. People are already sharing their stories and personal journeys with mental health and how games have had a positive effect on them, which you can read here (https://safeinourworld.org/stories/).
Safe In Our World aims to destigmatise mental health conditions, enabling those vital conversations to happen in order to help creators, professionals and players come together in support of each other.
You can donate to Safe In Our World and contribute towards making a difference to somebody struggling with mental illness here (https://safeinourworld.org/donate)
For more information about Safe In Our World (including how you can donate), please visit www.safeinourworld.org or follow their Social Media channels at:
twitter.com/safeinourworld
facebook.com/safeinourworld
instagram.com/safeinourworld
Universally Speaking, internationally recognised specialists for Localisation, QA, and Audio, are shortlisted for four awards at this year’s TIGA Awards.
24/09/2019
Hosted at the Natural History Museum in London this November 7th, the ninth annual TIGA Games Industry Awards ceremony will bring together some of the best UK talent in the industry.
We are thrilled to announce that Universally Speaking has been nominated for four awards in the best in Business Categories – these include SERVICES PROVIDER, QA PROVIDER, AUDIO SERVICES PROVIDER, and OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP for CEO Vickie Peggs.
On this, Vickie said: “It’s an incredible variety of nominations to be put up for, which we’re so excited about. It reflects practically our complete suite of services and the hard work that everybody at Universally Speaking puts into being the best we can be. I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Universally Speaking continues to push for excellence, we are proud to be internationally known as the preeminent service provider to the global gaming sector and can’t wait to continue our momentum through 2020 – and beyond.
This brings our tally over the last 18 months to 14 global award nominations, as Universally Speaking continues to consolidate our place as the preeminent service provider for the global gaming sector.
For more information about how we can support your Localisation, QA and Audio needs, get in touch:
Universally Speaking, renowned global games Localisation, QA and Audio specialists, are shortlisted for BEST SUPPLIER 2019 at the inagural Develop: Star Awards.
16/05/2019
This July 10, the global games industry will assemble in Brighton within the historic Brighton Metropole for the Develop: Star Awards. Re-envisioned after the prestigious Develop Awards, this year’s show promises to be a memorable night of laughter and celebration. Universally Speaking will hope to vye off all competition as part of the distinguished lineup for the BEST SUPPLIER 2019 award.
Upon hearing the news, our CCO, Tim Horton, said “We are utterly delighted to receive this nomination, recognition on this scale is truly humbling. This nomination is reflective of the dedication and hard work our in-house teams apply to our phenomenally talented partners, worldwide”.
This brings our tally over the last 18 months to 10 global award nominations, as Universally Speaking continues to consolidate our place as the preeminent service provider for the global gaming sector.
For more information about how we can support your Localisation, QA and Audio needs, get in touch:
Global QA specialists, Universally Speaking, cement their place at the forefront of industry innovation as they win best in category at the prestigious TIGA Games Industry Awards 2018.
06/11/2018
Last week the games industry elite came together in London within the wondrous beauty of the Guildhall Art Museum for one of the industry’s biggest and most prestigious awards ceremonies. Top studio talent from across the globe returned to the UK for the TIGA Games Industry Awards. In a memorable night of celebration and games, Universally Speaking saw off tough competition to pick up the prestigious and highly coveted BEST QA PROVIDER 2018 Award.
A clearly moved CCO, Tim Horton, said “We are utterly delighted to receive this award, recognition on this scale is truly humbling. This award is reflective of the dedication and hard work our in-house QA teams apply to each and every project”.
CEO, Vickie Peggs, said “Passion for the sector and the extensive knowledge and ownership of our ability and craft is what makes this possible. We would love to thank all our incredible clients, around the world, for choosing to work with Universally Speaking. We will continue to innovate and exceed expectation”.
This brings this year’s tally to 8 global award nominations and 2 global awards won. Universally Speaking is the preeminent service provider to the global gaming sector and we cannot wait to see what the remainder of 2018 brings.
