DigiPen Moving to Larger Campus in Summer 2010

The game development-focused DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, will move to a larger campus in the summer of 2010, increasing its graduating class size by 300 students yearly. DigiPen's new campus in North Redmond spans more than 100,000 square feet, and will house all of DigiPen's bachelor's and master's degree programs. The new DigiPen facility includes tiered-seating auditoriums, art studios, electronic labs, a library, a cafeteria with a professional kitchen, a student recreation room, and a general store. Speaking to the Seattle Times, chief operating officer Raymond Yan notes that the move could increase DigiPen's graduating class size to 1,200 students yearly, up from the current 900. DigiPen was the world's first college to offer a bachelor's degree in game development, and currently provides degree programs in computer engineering, computer science, production animation, and game design. The college also offers a number of K-12 educational programs throughout the United States and overseas. "This move represents a great point of development for DigiPen and the game industry," said DigiPen founder and CEO Claude Comair. "DigiPen has been teaching students for over 20 years, and with that valuable experience, we were able to design the new campus to provide the students with the best environment to learn, collaborate on projects, live their daily lives, and be most productive, so that we can provide the industry with the best workforce possible."