14 DAY TRIAL // While not as important as other huge gaming news that appeared in the last week, Square Enix's announcement of forming another studio in Montreal, Canada, has once again showcased just how important the country is becoming on the global interactive entertainment scene.
[ADMARk=1]As of right now, you can barely throw a stick in Montreal and not hit a video game developer, largely because already a huge number of companies have studios based in the city. From established groups like Ubisoft Montreal or Eidos Montreal, which have been active for quite a few years, to recent startups like THQ Montreal or Square Enix Montreal, which have just or are in the process of opening their doors, more and more companies are attracted to the Canadian city.
Besides Quebec, region of which Montreal is part of, other areas of Canada are also home to some huge companies, including BioWare, probably one of the biggest game developers from the Northern country, which is based in Edmonton, but also recently opened a new branch in Montreal.
Vancouver and the whole British Columbia region is home to some pretty serious studios, including EA Canada, the largest Electronic Arts group outside of the U.S., which is responsible for the massively successful FIFA series, or EA Black Box, the team behind the recent Need for Speed: The Run.
Capcom is also establishing a presence in the area, taking over Blue Castle Games and renaming it into Capcom Vancouver, while working closely with Slant Six Games on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.
Rockstar Games, the creators of the Grand Theft Auto series, is currently using all of its global studios to develop Max Payne 3, including two groups from Canada, in the form of Rockstar Vancouver and Rockstar Toronto.
I could go on and on about the surprising number of gaming companies currently active in Canada, butwe need to actually point out just why all of them are attracted to the country: tax cuts.
Currently, Canada as a whole and its various regions are offering some very attractive tax options for companies active in digital media, including games. As such, in order to avoid paying big money to the U.S. government, while taking advantage of the talented yet cheaper work force, more and more corporations are looking north of the border.
Expect Square Enix Montreal to not be the last games studio founded in Canada, as the country is also promoting itself during various gaming conventions, including Gamescom or E3, so more and more companies will soon start making investments there.