A creative studio, developing a historical virtual tour of Northampton, has set up shop at Vulcan Works in the town centre, describing the innovative hub as “making the world a greater place”.

Explorable Games, founded by Luke Webb and Josh Carmichael, specialises in video game development, 3D printed local landmarks, and heritage virtual tours.

For the past four and a half years, the dedicated duo has been developing a video game to allow users to explore the entirety of Northampton in 1885, including being able to enter buildings, ride horses and go on trams.

The gaming experience is historically accurate to that specific year, but despite the endless hours of work, Luke and Josh believe they’re only 40% through the project and needed a studio space to call home while they complete the mammoth task and grow their business.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Luke. “The buildings in the game are very recognisable though, such as Guildhall and All Saints Church, and we can 3D print them for anyone who would like a model to display or print.”

The models are currently on sale at Vintage Guru in St Giles Street, just a stone’s throw from their shared workshop at Vulcan Works in Guildhall Road, which they chose for its community feel and warm welcome.

Luke said: “We originally started our project in a building called Performing Room. It was never our place, just somewhere to be. We’d always wanted a place of our own to call a studio. Somewhere to meet clients and allow us to come across as more professional.”

Two years ago, the pair met Vulcan Works Business Growth Manager Darren Smith, who was amazed by their Explorable Games concept and invited them to visit Vulcan Works.

“We got to know Darren and Vulcan Works very well, and we started coworking here. We knew very quickly that this was the place we needed to be,” said Luke, who finally moved Explorable Games into an office on 1^st April.

“There’s a lot of people to talk to here and a lot of connections you can make, but more than that, it’s not just about growing a business, it’s a real family environment here. The people are very kind, and the staff are really friendly. When you have people who talk to you like you are family, they’re the sort of people who make the world a greater place and the sort of people I want to be with.

“You won’t find anywhere better in Northampton than here.”

Vulcan Works centre manager Garrick Hurter said: “The concept of Explorable Games is so creative, innovative and exciting – all the things that Vulcan Works was originally launched to support. Luke and Josh have done an incredible job of the project so far and we are delighted to be able to be part of their journey as they continue working on 1885 Northampton.

“The fact that Vulcan Works has so much history itself and is a key local landmark means that we already feature in Explorable Games’ portfolio of printed buildings, which is absolutely fantastic! We look forward to seeing that portfolio grow under our roof.”

To find out more about offices at Vulcan Works or request a show around, email info@vulcanworks.co.uk or visit vulcanworks.co.uk.