Industry vet Garry Tucker has founded Eightbyte, a London-based financial services firm specifically focused on the needs of independent game developers. Tucker, who has held senior positions in publishing at Take-Two, Virgin Interactive, Activision and Acclaim, and was finance director at Kuju Games, says Eightbyte will help position indies to innovate.

Survives and evolves by bring new creative ideas to market, and independents are best positioned to generate that innovation — if they survive and thrive,” Tucker says. “Eightbyte will work with companies who want to survive, and who want to be profitable.”

Among the specific services offered are cash flow planning and management, business planning and performance indicators, and purchase and sale due diligence.

Eightbyte says it will offer support to indies in creating credibility for their financial forecasts to assist in fund raising, and will offer both financial and commercial mentoring for critical business skills. It will also offer outsourced back-office financial services like payroll, bookkeeping and management accounts.

Eightbyte will address UK companies initially, but says it is positioned to expand its services to other regions in time.

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