UON’s Goblin Games raise innovation award thanks to Digital Northants

An in-house gaming studio at the University of Northampton is proudly celebrating success after receiving a recognition award from Digital Northants.

Goblin Games – partnered with Goblin Academics – was established at the University of Northampton in September 2024 to offer creative students from its gaming courses to deliver commissions and projects as part of a professional, industry-grade games studio.

The Digital Champion award was presented on Wednesday (11 June) to representatives from Goblin Games by Digital Northants in the lead-up to this year’s Merged Futures event, as part of their work to recognise local innovators and technological creatives.

This recognition celebrates the recent partnership between Goblin Games and West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), which commissioned the talented team to deliver a purpose-built arcade machine – accompanied by four mini games designed specifically for the event – as part of their build-up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August 2025.

The arcade machine (pictured below) will be brought to thousands of local people as it tours the county at local libraries, theatres, sports grounds as well as the market square, drumming up excitement ahead of the tens of thousands of rugby fans expected to descend on the town for the tournament debut on Sunday 24 August.

The group of six student creatives behind the project were Sound Designer Roman Pegg, Lead Game Designer Elisa Projaga, Lead Progammer Sam Waite, Gameplay Programmer Sam Cairns, Character Artist Ben Green and Environment Artist Sam McDonough.

Reflecting on the award win, Programme Lead for Games Design, David Nicholls said: “We’re incredibly proud to have received this award from Digital Northants, which is testament to the fantastically creative work delivered by our team of students.

“The students have very much led the way with this commission, imparting their creative flair, technical know-how and professionalism to deliver a top-quality product which will engage members of the community of all ages to take part and play a game or two.”

Councillor James Petter, WNC Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said: “We’re incredibly excited about hosting part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup this year, it’ll be quite a spectacle.

“We’re looking to engage all parts of our community in the event, and this is a great way of reaching a younger audience, and the young at heart.

“What a fantastic way for our university students to support the event while gaining invaluable practical experience into the bargain.”

Merged Futures takes place today (Friday 13 June) from 10am to 6pm in the Learning Hub, Waterside Campus, Northampton, NN1 5PH.

The full team behind Goblin Games will be at the event showcasing the completed arcade machine, as well as diving into the art, design, and programming challenges they’ve tackled. Attendees will also be invited to take a sneak peek at the games themselves before the machine is rolled out across the county.

You can view the agenda and list of guest speakers on the Digital Northampton website.

Find out more about the latest projects and design updates from Goblin Games.

Find out more about studying Games Art, Games Design, Games Programming and Animation at the University of Northampton.