A Bristol video game company has recorded sales of more than £1.5m in Japan just two years after officially releasing its flagship game.
Chris Hunt, founder of Lo-Fi Games, spent more than a decade single-handedly crafting the complex, post-apocalyptic landscape of Kenshi while working night shifts as a security guard.
An early version was released in 2012, with Chris bringing his sister Natalie on board as director soon afterwards.
As an active community of fans steadily emerged, there was growing interest from Japan - the third-largest gaming market in the world, worth £14.4bn.
Lo-Fi Games secured a bursary from the Department for International Trade (DIT) and exhibited at the Tokyo Game Show before formally releasing Kenshi in 2018. The game has now had 89,000 downloads.
Natalie said the game's success in Japan has had a "ripple effect" and the company is seeing growing demand from South Korea and China.
She said: "We had previously underestimated how huge the Chinese market would be but since we released a localised version of Kenshi a year ago, it has become our second top-selling country, with sales exceeding £1m.
“We have always strived to create a game that we are passionate about, free from the pressures of investors.
"Our success overseas has enabled us to maintain our independence and it's been brilliant to have had support on hand from the Department for International Trade along the way.”
Lo-Fi has also recorded strong sales in the US, Australia, Germany, and Russia.
As a result of its exporting success, the team recently expanded from five to 13, and is now working on Kenshi 2.
Last month, international trade secretary Liz Truss announced the start of free trade negotiations with Japan, highlighting the technology and digital trade sectors as particularly relevant to ongoing discussions.
Exports minister Graham Stuart said: “Lo-Fi Games’ incredible success demonstrates the continued importance of our trading relationship with Japan.
“The UK’s gaming sector is thriving, with 95 per cent of development studios exporting their games.
“Our ongoing negotiations with Japan aim to strike a comprehensive free trade deal which supports UK businesses like Lo-Fi Games and strengthens our position as a global technology superpower.”
In 2018, UK trade with Japan was worth over £29.5bn and 9,500 British-based businesses exported goods to the country, helping to employ 2.4 million people across the UK.
