The Maltese government has been very forward-thinking around looking at the future and the evolution of immersive technologies. It was one of the major reasons why we’ve set up a business in Malta, co-founder of Draw & Code John Keefe told theJournal.mt.
In an exclusive interview, Keefe, who also serves as the company’s chief technology officer hails Malta Enterprise and Gaming Malta for their crucial role in helping them understand the opportunities in Malta, as a place to run a business from.
Draw & Code was founded in 2012 as an immersive technology company, and is based in Liverpool. In 2021, the company set up its Research and Development facility in Malta, and is currently seeking to increase its Maltese workforce.
Keefe speaks about how Malta is enabling his company to do things which were not possible in the UK.
“We see Malta as the ideal melting pot for companies and technologies to come together. The technical infrastructure here is excellent. It’s a very easy place to be able to test, in a microcosm, these technologies, which again, is another major reason why we’re here,” he said.
“Malta is enabling us to do things that weren’t necessarily possible in the UK. So as a test-bed, Malta is perfect for us. I do believe that the Maltese government was pretty visionary in their assessment of immersive technology and in understanding the convergence of things like sport, entertainment and video games. These were huge drivers to our decision-making to come here,” Keefe declared.
Malta is enabling us to do things that weren’t necessarily possible in the UK.
Draw & Code works on mixed reality and high-speed tracking systems, to enable next generation immersive experience. It’s R&D facility in Malta also works for some of the largest technology companies in the world, and Keefe explains that these companies will also be visiting Malta.
“One of the major reasons why we decided to set up in Malta was that we had already saw activity in and around the immersive technologies. There was an understanding here of those technologies and their place in the future of digital interactive entertainment,” he said.
Keefe notes that Malta has already attracted some great companies who are doing work in this field.
“We’re bringing a lot more companies to Malta as well, and without fail, they fall in love with the place. We’ve had multiple companies join us from the West Coast, the technology partners that we work with, and they see the value of doing these R&D engagements here. It’s a great place to tell stories essentially, but it’s also a great place to work,” he said.
Last month, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech mentioned metaverse as one of the ‘ten new sectors’ a PN government would try to establish in Malta. TheJournal.mt noted that this sector, just like the others mentioned in the PN manifesto, are already present and growing in Malta.
