Side (company)

Side
FormerlyPole To Win
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded2009 (as Pole To Win America)
HeadquartersLondon, UK
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Deborah Kirkham (CEO) Teppei Tachibana (chairman)
Websiteside.inc

Side is a global gaming services company based in London, formerly known as PTW (Pole To Win). Founded in 2009, the company initially provided quality assurance, localization, localization QA and player support to game developers and has since grown to provide audio production, co-development, art, and datasets following a series of acquisitions. The current CEO of Side is Deborah Kirkham, who has led the company since 2019.

Side has supported on the development of major AAA titles including Split Fiction (casting and voice recording),[1] Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (English casting and recording),[2] and Madden NFL 26 (audio and co-development).[3] In 2024, Side worked with partner studio, Hiventy Africa, to deliver the first full Swahili voice cast in a game with Tales of Kenzara: Zau (casting, recording, direction, and post-production for the Kimvita Swahili version of the game).[4]

Side employs around 2,000 employees across its global network of studios in Europe, Asia, South America and North America. Activision, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Epic Games have all worked with Side.[5]  

History

In 2009, Pole to Win America (now Side) opened its first US studio in Silicon Valley, having officially incorporated on August 5. Since then, PTW Holdings, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange,[6] has been Side's parent company.  

PTW, already recognised for its Localization, Localization QA and QA services, acquired the boutique audio firm, SIDE, in 2015[7]. Based out of Oxford Street, London, SIDE was established in 1995 and offered specialist audio services to games, such as, casting and recording for both original and localized versions of games.[8] Following the acquisition, PTW was able to expand the brand's presence globally, opening SIDE studios in Shanghai (February 2016),[9] Los Angeles (March 2017),[10] Paris (March 2023)[11] and Tokyo (November 2023)[12] under Pole to Win America.

In August 2012, PTW acquired e4e's interactive entertainment division[13][14]. The division in question handled key gaming services, including QA testing and Localization as well as customer service functions, allowing PTW to expand into player support. The acquisition of e4e interactive instantly expanded PTW's footprint in the UK and India through e4e's physical sites in Glasgow and Bangalore respectively [15]. In that same year, PTW set up in the UK as Pole to Win Europe, which went on to become Pole to Win International and finally Side International UK in 2025 following a rebrand.[16]  

In 2019, a major leadership change saw the company promote Deborah Kirkham to CEO, taking over from Teppei Tachibana.[17][18] Under Kirkham, the company continued its expansion program, opening studios in Montreal (July 2019),[19] Bangalore (February 2020),[20][21] Braga (May 2023),[22][23] São Paulo (November 2023),[24] Tokyo (2023)[12] and Charleston (December 2024).[25] It also completed the acquisitions of 5518 Studios (renamed 1518 Studios) in February 2021,[26][27][28] Vibe Avenue in October 2023[29][30][31] and Ghostpunch Games in August 2024.[32][33] Also in 2024, PTW expanded its partnership with Andy Serkis-owned Imaginarium Studios with the opening of a new motion capture facility at SIDE London.[34][35][36] These acquisitions and partnerships grew the business into the art, game development and music and sound design areas of the gaming services industry, making PTW a provider of the full-suite of gaming services.

In March 2025, PTW formally rebranded the company to Side; [37][38] each of the respective specialist brands (SIDE, Ghostpunch, Vibe Avenue, 1518 Studios and PTW) were retired and moved under Side, positioning the company as a full gaming service provider.

Following the rebrand, Side turned its focus to technological development with AI. It signed a partnership deal with Razer to create an AI-powered QA and playtesting solution for developers. The concept was first announced in March 2025 at the Game Developers Conference and Razer Cortex Playtest: Powered by Side officially launched at Gamescom in August 2025, allowing gamers using the Razer Cortex launcher to register as playtesters.[39][40][41]

Global expansion (as Side)

Having started with one studio in Silicon Valley, Side has expanded globally since 2009 and now runs over 15 studios across North America, South America, Europe and Asia[42]. In 2025, Side focused its expansion efforts in emerging markets, doubling its teams in Braga[43] and São Paulo[44][45]. The company also expressed a public interest in growing into the Middle East, signing a memorandum of understanding with Savvy Games Group. The document included a commitment to opening a studio in Riyadh in the near future[46].

In 2026, Side opened a new studio in Taipei, announcing the creation of 75 new gaming jobs in the city[47] as well as the implementation of new AI solutions. The studio was opened through a ceremony, attended by executives from the company and parent company, including CEO of PTW Holdings, Teppei Tachibana[48].

Awards

Award Provider Year Award Result Category Brand Ref
Develop: Star 2006 Creative Services Winner Audio SIDE
Develop 2009 Creative Services Winner Audio SIDE [49]
Develop 2010 Best Audio Outsourcer Winner Audio SIDE [50]
Develop 2011 Best Audio Outsourcer Winner Audio SIDE [51]
Develop 2012 Best Audio Outsourcer Winner Audio SIDE [52]
Develop: Star 2013 Creative Outsourcer - Audio Winner Audio SIDE
TIGA 2014 Audio Supplier Winner Audio SIDE [53]
Develop 2015 Creative Outsourcer - Audio Winner Audio SIDE [54]
TIGA 2015 Audio Supplier Winner Audio SIDE [55]
Develop 2016 Creative Outsourcer - Audio Winner Audio SIDE [56]
Develop: Star 2020 Best Creative Provider Winner Audio SIDE [57]
TIGA 2021 Best QA & Localization Provider Winner QA PTW [58]
TIGA 2021 Best Audio Services Supplier Winner Audio SIDE [59]
TIGA 2022 Services Provider Winner All PTW [60]
TIGA 2024 Audio Services Supplier Winner Audio SIDE [61]
TIGA 2025 Outstanding Leadership Winner Leadership Deborah Kirkham [62]
TIGA 2025 Co-dev Partner Winner Codev Side [63]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Video Game 2025) - Company credits - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-12-19 – via www.imdb.com.
  3. ^ "Madden NFL 26 credits (Windows, 2025)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  4. ^ "Tales of Kenzera: Zau credits (PlayStation 5, 2024)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  5. ^ "Side: Global Leading QA, Art, Localization & Player Support Company". side.inc. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  6. ^ "PTW America Inc - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  7. ^ Contributor, Dan Pearson (2015-08-11). "Side UK acquired by Pole to Win". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-02-05. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "SIDE UK LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
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  10. ^ tdumon01 (2017-03-29). "SIDE Officially Launches Los Angeles Office With Ribbon Cutting Ceremony". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 2025-12-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  25. ^ "Video game developer to employ 250 workers in Charleston • SC Daily Gazette". SC Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
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  32. ^ Chapple, Craig (2024-09-02). "Pole to Win snaps up co-development studio Ghostpunch Games for $13 million". www.pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
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