Dr Dave Ranyard is FactorTech’s Games Advisor, founder and CEO of Dream Reality Interactive, and former head of Sony PlayStation’s London Studio. His career spans game development, studio leadership and immersive technology, including work on SingStar and early PlayStation VR experiences. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Leeds.

Dave began advising FactorTech in 2020, bringing practical experience of the creative and commercial challenges facing games businesses.

How did you become involved with FactorTech?

I started in 2020 following a recommendation from a mutual friend and colleague at Sheridans. Since then, I’ve been involved with roughly 30 companies, although not every conversation leads to a funding deal. Sometimes a client receives money earlier than expected and no longer needs financing.

I’m a big believer in building relationships well before a deal is in place. That way, we already know each other when support is needed.

What does your role as Games Advisor involve?

I love video games and meeting developers. Much of my role involves getting to know independent developers and larger companies before they need funding, through industry events and existing contacts. Sometimes a new company is founded by someone I’ve worked with before.

Newer teams often have a great game in development but less experience of running a business. I can help them think through cashflow, banking and risk management, or suggest people and services that could support them.

By the time they need financing, I already understand what they’re doing and where the pressure points are. That makes it easier to help put together support tailored to their circumstances.

What advice would you give a games business starting out or looking to scale?

Watch the cashflow. Cash is king and queen, and payments can be delayed. You always need a Plan B—and sometimes Plans C, D and E.

How has game development changed during your career?

Making a game used to require considerable low-level programming. There weren’t standard engines such as Unity or Unreal, so teams had to build much more themselves.

Those tools have made development more accessible and opened up creative possibilities. Just as word processors made it easier for people to write books, game engines have made it easier for people to create games.

The other side of that is competition: many more games are released, so getting noticed is much harder.

What will matter most over the next five years?

Introducing AI into the development pipeline is complicated, with real advantages and disadvantages. But the industry has adapted to new technology before, and I believe sensible approaches will emerge over time.

Games are also maturing as an industry, as film, television and radio did before them. The correction over the past two or three years has been painful for many businesses, but I see better times ahead for those that remain agile and seek out opportunities.