EA’s Investment in Québec to Total to Around $500 million Over the Next 10 Years
Despite BioWare Montreal’s current troubles with Mass Effect: Andromeda, Electronic Arts (EA) recently announced that they are planning to expand their presence in Québec by adding 500 new jobs to the province over a ten-year period.
“”We offer Electronic Arts a stable, predictable, competitive fiscal framework enabling the company to move forward with this substantial expansion. This favourable environment led to the positioning of Québec as a leader in the video game industry and as an internationally recognized centre of excellence,” said Carlos Leitão, Québec Minister of Finance. Québec has a refundable tax credit, introduced in 1996, for the production of video game and multimedia titles to entice companies to develop within the province.
“This investment shows that the city is definitely a hub for the video game industry. Montréal strengthens its position as one of the industry’s focal points,” added Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal. “These new jobs will add to Montréal’s tremendous economic vitality. I would also like to thank Electronic Arts for their continued trust.”
The video game industry in Québec boasts a workforce around 11 000 from almost 140 companies, and is notably home to EA’s BioWare Montreal, developer of Mass Effect: Andromeda. EA has held a presence in Montreal since 2004.
SOURCE: Press Release.