DigiPen Institute of Technology, the world’s first college to offer a Bachelor’s degree in Real Time Interactive Simulation (game development) announced today that it will move to a new, larger campus in Redmond, at 9876 Willows Road, in the summer of 2010.

DigiPen will close its two existing campuses in Redmond and move all of its Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs, as well as some of its K-12 initiatives to the new campus.

According to a press release, the new location of more than 100,000 square feet has been custom-designed to best fit the needs of DigiPen’s students with tiered-seating auditoriums, classrooms, art studios, electronic labs, a large work area for students to collaborate on projects, library, cafeteria with a professional kitchen, student recreation room and a general store.

Claude Comair, founder and CEO of DigiPen Institute of Technology stated, “This move represents a great point of development for DigiPen and the game industry. 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 student 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. The new campus has been designed to fit DigiPen’s unique way of teaching, which balances a very rigorous academic curriculum with practical projects from start to finish.”

Furthermore, said Comair, “Having all our degree programs under one roof will enable students from the various degree programs to collaborate with each other on projects much more efficiently in an environment similar to what they will encounter in the real world. The functionality and design of this new campus will enhance the quality of our students’ education and experience.”

Comair added that the decision to stay in Redmond was an easy one, citing DigiPen’s important role in the area’s prolific game industry.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione commented, “DigiPen is a tremendous asset to the Redmond community, with considerable contributions to education, the arts and our local economy. The city has long enjoyed a valuable partnership with the institute and as Mayor, I look forward to continue to work together to advance digital arts and the dynamic needs of the game industry in Redmond and in our region.”

DigiPen plans to start classes at the new campus in the fall of 2010.

For more information about DigiPen, vist www.digipen.edu.