Expression Games opened a physical studio in Manchester in 2024, after launching as a fully remote company in 2022. The office is optional, according to a 2026 GameDev.net briefing relaying GamesIndustry.biz: the company describes it as a place for collaboration, shaped by employee preferences, partner-project needs and pressures in the talent market. The report does not quantify those pressures or show that the office requires regular attendance.
What changed at Expression Games?
Expression Games moved from entirely remote operation to having a physical Manchester studio. The opening date reported in the GameDev.net briefing is 2024; the briefing itself, by Jon Hicks, was published on October 8, 2026. The material available does not explain the gap between the opening and the later report, so this is not a studio opening announced in 2026. GameDev.net’s briefing links to the original GamesIndustry.biz story.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Hell Let Loose (PS5) | $42.59 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Hell Let Loose Deluxe Edition | $34.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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HELL LET LOOSE - PS5 [CERO Rating "Z" | $123.23 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Hell Let Loose: Vietnam (Xbox Series X) | $56.64 | Buy on Amazon |
Expression CEO Errol Ismail said, “A physical space was always part of our long-term growth plans.” The briefing presents the office as an optional collaboration hub, not a return to compulsory office attendance. It says there are no set working hours.
Why did the company say it opened the studio?
The report attributes the move to three considerations: some employees wanted opportunities to meet and work together in person; co-development partners can have infrastructure requirements, including hosting data on site; and the company was responding to a changing talent market. The briefing also mentions education links with Manchester Metropolitan University and Bolton.
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- Fight in epic 50 vs 50 multiplayer battles.
- 9 maps with more added frequently - land at Omaha Beach, fight through Carentan and into the frozen forests of Foy before climbing Hill 400.
- Never fight the same battle twice - 99 capture point variations per map, means thousands of potential battles.
- Play and master one or many of 14 unique roles, including: Officer, Medic, Machinegunner, Commander, Crewman, Sniper and more.
- Constantly updated with new maps, weapons, features and fixes.
- Employee connection: The office gives staff who want it a shared place to collaborate, while attendance remains optional.
- Partner needs: Some projects may involve infrastructure that partners require to be hosted on site.
- Recruitment context: Talent-market pressure is part of the report’s framing, but it offers no hiring figures, salary data, named survey or other metric to establish the scale or direction of that pressure.
- Education links: The briefing mentions connections with Manchester Metropolitan University and Bolton, without detailing their scope or outcomes.
These are the company’s reported reasons and intended uses for the space—not evidence that opening it improved recruitment, retention, productivity or delivery.
Does the Manchester office end remote work?
Not according to the briefing. It describes attendance as optional and says there are no set working hours. That indicates flexibility in how employees use the space, but the source does not specify a detailed remote-work policy, attendance expectations by role, or how often staff typically go in.
Rank #2
- Enlist in the ever-expanding Hell Let Loose experience, bringing you World War II on an epic scale. With battles of 50v50 players and a dynamically shifting front line, this first-person shooter demands teamwork, communication, and strategy, not only to win but to survive!
- Be ready for combat on a series of iconic battlefields, where you and your teammates will fight against other skilled soldiers, playing one of our fourteen unique and important roles.
- With the Deluxe edition, you’ll hit the ground running with 3 of the most popular DLC packs we’ve released – Hot Drop, False Front and Lethal Tide.
- Join the chaos of war with different historical weapons, vehicles and equipment that are intricately detailed, bringing the realism to the brutal and bloody warfare. We’ll see you on the frontlines!
What does Expression Games make?
Expression works with Team17 on the Hell Let Loose franchise. Team17 announced a co-development agreement with Expression on April 12, 2023. It said it had acquired the Hell Let Loose intellectual property from Black Matter at the start of 2022. Team17’s announcement provides that history.
Everplay Group plc announced Hell Let Loose: Vietnam on August 21, 2025, describing it as a partnership with Expression Games made using Unreal Engine 5. The company outlined combined-arms gameplay, helicopters, patrol boats and six maps set in Vietnam. Team17’s current press and creator hub lists the game for Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and names Team17 and Expression Games as developers.
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- Plan a 100 spectacular battle in a hardcore world set during World War II!
- Welcome to the expanding HELL LET LOOSE combat This is a hardcore first person shooting game based on World War II Infantry, tank, cannon, dynamically changing battles and RTS inspired, a unique resource based meta game of 100 players
- With HELL LET LOOSE, you can be in chaotic situation of war, such as the vehicles player-operated, dynamic transforming battles, and gameplay focused on forces that play key role in battle
- It also features over 9 vast maps created based on actual reconnaissance images and satellite data, and the entire battlefield is divided into a massive occupation sector This allows two 50-player forces to play tension-filled and unique gameplay such as battling death on a continual transforming battle, such as fields, bridges, forests, and city areas
- This piece is for online play only Online play is required to participate in PS Plus
In its 2025 announcement, Everplay also said the original Hell Let Loose had generated more than $100 million in lifetime revenue and reached more than 144,000 concurrent users at peak in 2025. Those are company-published figures, not independently audited results established here. The announcement said the original game would receive further content and support through 2026 and beyond. Everplay’s announcement contains the company’s figures and project details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the opening signal a wider games-industry hiring trend?
The report supports a narrower conclusion: Expression says talent-market conditions factored into its decision. It does not provide Manchester or UK games-sector employment statistics, or evidence that studios more broadly are moving away from remote work. The opening is therefore a company-specific response, not proof of a wider market trend.
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Rank #4
- Fight in epic 50 vs 50 multiplayer battles.
- Play as the North Vietnamese Army or the US Armed Forces.
- Immersive jungle warfare recreates the real-world intensity of the battle.
- 6 distinct game modes: Offensive, Warfare and 4 alternative new game modes.
- 6 large-scale maps – all with lighting and weather variants and extreme terrain.
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