The Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE), an established Australian game education institution formed in 1996 and with campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, has their sights set on overseas expansion with the opening of their first international location in North America.
The new campus in Seattle, described as a "a boutique operation, not a huge facility", will offer students a range of courses from digital media, game development, special effects and film production, and will provide a shorter alternative to four year long courses. The AIE head of school for Seattle will be Chris Erhardt, a veteran games developer, teacher, and consultant with two decades of experience in the games industry. AIE President, John De Margheriti, has provided the reasons why the AIE chose Seattle as the location for the first North American AIE facility...
We evaluated several cities in the West Coast and selected Seattle because of the depth of talented game studios, the deep creative and entrepreneurial talent that exists in this city
The AIE have further plans to expand in Europe and Asia. For the complete story, head on over to the Seattle Times at the following link...