Not so Popular Vancouver

Source article: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/176110/whats_really_going_down_in_.php by Leigh Alexander.  August 17^th, 2012

            Once a striving metropolitan in the gaming industry, Vancouver is now having more trouble than ever.  In the last summer many major developing companies have moved or preformed massive layoffs. Activision recently closed down their Radical Entertainment facility, and Rockstar Studios soon followed. Other companies such as Capcom, Slant Six, and Relic have not had any luck either with recent layoffs. While these companies have chosen to relocate or downsize, other companies are trying to pull through the dry spell in Vancouver. Electronic Arts is doing an exceptional job sustaining in Vancouver with their Burnaby location remaining their oldest and largest location in Canada. Electronic Arts Burnaby is still manufacturing popular titles such as FIFA under the world renowned EA Sports brand. While Electronic Arts has had some downsizing, they are still preforming considerably well in Vancouver and hold a major presence in the hiring industry.

            Companies that relocate from Vancouver are choosing Montreal or Toronto for their new locations because of tax credits offered by the local municipal governments. In retaliation, the British Columbia Interactive Task Force (BCI) is trying to refortify the gaming industry in Vancouver. Their plan strongly relies on implementing tax credits that will attract new businesses and developers into the industry. In 2010 the BCI is credited with implementing the BC Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (BCIDMTC) which gives tax redemptions up to 17.5% of eligible salaries. Many developers including Gree and TinyCo are in favor of the tax credit, but other developers believe that more steps will need to be taken to improve the conditions in Vancouver.

            A majority of the developers found in Vancouver worked on console games; however with the recent industry migration many developers that work on console games no longer are located in Vancouver. This opens Vancouver to mobile gaming. Gree, a big time Japanese mobile game developer has started hiring in Vancouver last July. Other indie mobile game developers are also appearing in Vancouver, including East Side Games which recently opened in July as well. Clearly Vancouver is not lost in the gaming industry, just behind. The future is unknown, if Vancouver intends to get a foot back in the door of console gaming then new tax credits and incentives will need to appear in the near future. Otherwise Vancouver can always take hold of the newly growing mobile gaming market worth $8 billion of the $56 billion revenue of the gaming industry.

-Brandon Dahn