BGFG creates more jobs, Manchester expands to challenge as UK’s gaming capital
By Gamers for Gamers, a Manchester gaming and tech company, has announced its intent to create another 30 jobs in the city, following significant fundraising.
In the Premier League era of English football, Manchester has been the dominant force, with United and City making the Greater Manchester metropolis famous for the sport.
Now, however, there’s a relatively new scene emerging across the UK, which Manchester looks to position itself at the forefront of.
The gaming industry has been around for decades, but it’s only over the last ten to 15 years that it has become a true goliath. It’s now the most valuable entertainment medium globally, connecting to people via computers, consoles, and smartphones, with more and more companies piling into the action each year. Manchester’s gaming scene has been bustling for a long time, and it too continues to expand.
Most recently, By Gamers for Gamers, a Manchester gaming and tech company, announced its intent to create another 30 jobs in the city, following significant fundraising.
Looking to bring the top talents of the UK to the northern city, BGFC will be further contributing to Manchester’s momentum, continually growing into a digital hub of the UK. Already, it seems, as far as gaming hubs in the UK go, there’s certainly a lot about Manchester which suggests that ‘Cottonopolis’ is already a national leader for everything gaming.
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Going out to enjoy the gaming culture of Manchester
The city boasts a diverse gaming community which goes much further than there just being a console or gaming PC in several homes. Thanks to the incredibly high demand, Manchester has become a hot spot for gaming bars and games venues, used as the centrepiece of a night out. The retro games-laden Hold Fast, NQ64, and secret 80s arcade bar 17 Below offer game-centric ways to socialise at the bar. It’s not just the more classic titles and arcade machines that have been introduced to Manchester, though, with the less-night out experience venue of Virtual Hideout making its mark. Standing as the city’s virtual reality gaming centre, there is a website with mobile slots free spins, over 100 games to experience as a single player or in a team of up to four people.
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Manchester is becoming increasingly tied to perhaps the most famous gaming destination in the world: Las Vegas. Most recently, one of the city’s start-up companies, Gamer Wager, signed into a joint venture with SCCG Management of Nevada, who will utilise their peer-to-peer game wagering tech in the United States. Coming the other way, of course, the games that Las Vegas is famous for have found a vibrant audience in Manchester. While not in the form of a towering themed casino, the online library at VegasSlotsOnline contains all of the top slots from Sin City. The likes of 50 Lions, Triple Diamond, and Bier Haus continue to be the most popular of the Vegas selection. With these games available online, gaming in-person in a Vegas-like setting is also available, with Manchester235 being a part of the Caesars Rewards programme.
Giving a grand stage to gaming in Manchester
In the United States, annual conventions have become incredibly popular across entertainment mediums that were once considered niche. Comic-Con, for example, is a major driver of the comic industry and have morphed into a geek national holiday of sorts. Manchester has long sought to give gaming such a stage, with efforts proving to be very popular. In 2019, the Manchester Gaming Market presented attendees and collectors with a huge range of retro video games and consoles to snap up. On a much larger, more modern scale, there’s also the epic Play Expo event. The city’s crown jewel of annual gaming events shall return on 8 and 9 May in 2021, with over 1000 gaming hardware units set to be available across the show floor.
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The gaming business of Manchester
For anywhere in the UK to truly be hailed as a gaming hub, it needs to corral the nation’s creative force to the area. BGFG, the business behind WePC, PC Guide, Esports Verdict, and Gaming Verdict, continues to expand and offer more reasons for savvy gaming professionals to come up north. Aiming to facilitate such moves is Gameopolis, whose sole purpose is to network and promote links between the video games industry and Manchester. On the development side of the industry, the city is also home to mobile-facing devs Smashmouth Games, as well as the indie creators of The Lost Bear and The Persistence, Fabrik Games. Then, there’re the steps to further promote the ever-growing eSports scene, with Manchester United and City having eSports teams set-up, and Manchester University running several programmes and events.
Manchester has a tremendous amount of momentum right now, from the population’s overall interest in gaming to businesses looking to establish the city in the industry at large. As more companies like BGFG make positive moves to increase the allure of Manchester in gaming, it’ll grow further as the nation’s games hub.
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Lemn Sissay OBE pens powerful poem about Manchester City for Black History Month
Danny Jones
Lauded local poet Lemn Sissay MBE has penned a moving poem in collaboration with Manchester City, looking back on the club’s cultural past and key persons of colour for Black History Month.
Born in Orrell in the borough of Wigan, the published author, playwright, and BAFTA-nominated broadcaster has made a name as one of our region’s most notable wordsmiths, so it’s no wonder that he was selected by the Cityzens to touch on this particular topic.
Teaming up not only with Man City but the club’s first-ever Black footballer, Stan Horne, as well as other senior stars from the Maine Road days, all the way up to the modern Etihad era.
‘The Stadium Speaks’ by Lemn Sissay – a poem commissioned by Manchester City for Black History Month 2025
Entitled The Stadium Speaks, the public reading of the verses runs for just under two minutes, but even in the relatively short space of time, there is so much power in this poignant poem.
Roping in help from other past players like Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Shaun Goater, as well as current stars like Ruben Dias, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Jeremy Doku, each line leaves just as much impact as the last.
Just as importantly, they were also joined by Jahmal Williams-Thomas, City Matters’ Black and Mixed Heritage representative, Bing Findlater – the Official Supporter Club’s Equality and Inclusion Lead, as well as several other City fans and staff who work throughout the Eithad Campus.
Each individual who lends themselves to the performance delivers their part perfectly and from the heart; after all, Black culture isn’t something strictly celebrated during the month of October, but throughout communities all year round – as it should be.
Sissay, 58, clearly relished the chance to dive into how Greater Manchester‘s history intersects with not only football, but racism, equality, progress and more.
One stands and we all stand One falls and we all fall We are Manchester City And we stand tall
To celebrate Black History Month Manchester City Football Club commissioned me to write this poem to reflect on the club's journey from Maine Road to today. I have called it…
Speaking via a statement on the club website: “Manchester felt like home to me, the moment I stepped foot across the boundary. I came here very early on, when I think I was 13, I came to see Manchester City play. The first time I came to this city was to see City.
“I want the poem to be owned by the person who’s in the stand watching the game. And I wanted the poem to be owned by the person on the pitch who’s playing it. And I want them to feel proud reading it.”
The post goes on to reiterate that just like all teams throughout the football pyramid, racism and discrimination in all its forms should not and WILL not be tolerated.
Asking supporters to step up and speak as and when needed, City fans can report abuse and/or inappropriate behaviour to 07700151894, which will make security aware of what has been witnessed.
Feedback can also be shared anonymously by texting the specific block, row, seat number and a short description of the incident to the number; if in doubt, talk to a steward or police officer at the game.
Elsewhere, the official MCFC Supporter Charter sets out their zero-tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination, and fans can also report online discriminatory abuse they see targeted at Premier League players, managers, coaches, match officials and their families directly HERE.
Salford City set to reverse kit colour following clear-cut fan vote
Danny Jones
Salford City FC are set to make a historic change, or rather turn back time, as the Greater Manchester side looks set to change its main kit colour back to orange.
The Ammies are undergoing another big overhaul – the most significant since the ‘Class of 92’ bought the club back in 2014 – with supporters being invited to give their thoughts on the direction they want to see the club going in.
Currently sitting ninth in the third tier after making a positive start to the 2025/26 campaign, Salford City have been met not only with fresh investment in recent months but a fresh push for change from the ground up.
Including, as it turns out, the kit colour. After genuine calls to reverse the kit colour from the fans, the Salford board took a fan poll, with over three-quarters of all those who took part voting to return the City jersey to orange.
As you can see, 77.1% of Ammies confirmed that they were in favour of bringing back the predominantly orange and black shirt, shorts and socks; the switch is expected to happen before next season.
The League Two side has made it clear that promotion to the Championship is the big target over the next few years, and as the new consortium headed up by Gary Neville and David Beckham continues to try and transform the club once again, they’re looking to make big statements.
It doesn’t get much more foundational than restoring the orange shirts that Salford City wore for the best part of four decades prior to the initial takeover.
The decision itself comes after a thorough ‘heritage consultation’ process, where the older Neville brother and other key figures took supporter feedback into consideration, including the majority kit vote.
In terms of announcing the change, they’ve had plenty of fun revealing the outcome on social media, too.
Sharing a full statement on the club website, SCFC went on to detail that there is “significant work to be undertaken at the Peninsula Stadium to update cladding and seats, amongst other infrastructure upgrades that are already due to take place.”
Hoping to combine their “tangerine heritage with modern style to create a striking orange identity”, the overall brand aim is now simpler than ever: “when you see orange, you will know what it means. This is Salford. Proud. Unmistakable.”
Long-time supporter, Richard Kedzior – who also owns the recognisable orange and black flag that hangs in the west stand – said of the news: “I’m delighted that we’ve reverted back to orange, which over a 40-year period was the colour we were always associated with prior to the change to red.
“It’s a welcome return to tradition as well as giving us back our unique identity that will once again identify us all as proud supporters of Salford‘s premier football club.”
Before the reversal was fully confirmed, co-owner Neville discussed the potential change in a room full of passionate Salfordians.
Old Dead Tree fanzine committee member, Kev Wright, continued in the statement: “The orange kit represents Salford’s true identity. It sets us apart and reminds everyone that we are our own Club, not just a shadow of Manchester United.
“When we play in red, the comparisons are inevitable, and people can mistake us for something we’re not. Salford is different. It’s about local pride, about belonging to a community with its own history and its own future. Orange gives us a distinct voice and a colour we can call our own. It’s more than just a kit – it’s a statement that we are Salford, and proud!”
Signing off, fellow Ammie Deb Sculthorpe believes that this could be the ‘fresh start’ that the 85-year-old footballing outfit needs, adding that “timing is everything and now is the time.”
A further consultation is set to take place regarding the club crest, too, as some have also suggested reverting the modern logo to the old Salford Central-style badge, with more information to be shared as and when.
What do you make of the decision to swap the modern Salford red for Greater Manchester‘s second city classic orange strip, Ammies?
The Manc -
18th February 2021 
