Today, Funcom has announced they are opening a new studio in Montréal. Developers at the studio will work on both Age of Conan, and Funcom's next project, The Secret World.

Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas had this to say on the opening of the new studio:

“In addition to strengthening our North American presence, the new studio will take advantage of the great incentive programs offered by the Québec region, incentives that makes Montréal one of the most cost effective locations in the world for developing MMO games. This will in turn allow us to better balance our costs, making it possible for us to continue to expand our investments into the MMO segment.”

The official announcement can be found here.

I could be wrong but the picture i see here is Funcom using the region to fund free training,to basically get free employees.I guess they figure this will more than offset the leasing cost.I don't think they have bought land and built anything,it sounds like everything is already in place,they are just cashing in on incentives,free employees.

The Canadian Govt. usually has incentives for placing education students and unemployed into the work force,i think this is probably what is going on.There is usually new incentives also for first time businesses,this would also be the case for Funcom.I can see a 2 year lease,milk the system then close it down,but maybe i'm wrong,we'll see.

Montreal along with Vancouver has become a hub for video game creation. A lot of excellent creative talent is around there. Ubisoft Montreal as well as EA to name just to big employer have offices there.

You want to get the best? You go where they are!

If it wasnt for the fact that i got a great and secure paying union job in Calgary, i might be tempted to send some CV there!

Hope FUNCOM brings their French-English dictionaries :P

Originally posted by Wizardry

The Canadian Govt. usually has incentives for placing education students and unemployed into the work force,i think this is probably what is going on.

yeah there'S something like that, but i can guarante you that students that will work for Funcom, will just come out of one of the schools that are focus on video game, the same way Ubisoft and EA got their peoples. For the unemployed being forced to work, well thats one of my greates wish so i wont have to work like a dog to pay them living a cat life. Tho, im sure they wont find a job at Funcom, they cant even raise their big ass from their chair.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I could be wrong but the picture i see here is Funcom using the region to fund free training,to basically get free employees.I guess they figure this will more than offset the leasing cost.I don't think they have bought land and built anything,it sounds like everything is already in place,they are just cashing in on incentives,free employees.

The Canadian Govt. usually has incentives for placing education students and unemployed into the work force,i think this is probably what is going on.There is usually new incentives also for first time businesses,this would also be the case for Funcom.I can see a 2 year lease,milk the system then close it down,but maybe i'm wrong,we'll see.

You obviously have no idea how the video game business works.

Originally posted by angerbeaver

Hope FUNCOM brings their French-English dictionaries :P

French-Norsk.  I guess it would have been to hot for them in Austin, Texas. It's a hellacious thing to set up a new studio for a game already in the design stage. They must have their reasons I suppose.

 Wizardy, its how business works

funny to read all the doom and gloom on this site when the last financial results of FC were in but they are only expanding (ofc there will be someone trying to say that opening a new studio is not expanding but a desperate attempt to do.. something i guess :D)

Originally posted by zymurgeist

French-Norsk.  I guess it would have been to hot for them in Austin, Texas. It's a hellacious thing to set up a new studio for a game already in the design stage. They must have their reasons I suppose.

It all depends on what the new studio does. Artwork, translation, quest writing and such stuff works perfectly. To do actual programing in 2 places is of course a lot of work but there is a lot more work with a MMO than the programming.

Originally posted by Wizardry

I could be wrong but the picture i see here is Funcom using the region to fund free training,to basically get free employees.I guess they figure this will more than offset the leasing cost.I don't think they have bought land and built anything,it sounds like everything is already in place,they are just cashing in on incentives,free employees.

The Canadian Govt. usually has incentives for placing education students and unemployed into the work force,i think this is probably what is going on.There is usually new incentives also for first time businesses,this would also be the case for Funcom.I can see a 2 year lease,milk the system then close it down,but maybe i'm wrong,we'll see.

Um, actually, I'd say they're probably talking about the incentives that the Quebec governmant gives to companies to set up game studios there. From my understanding those incentives tend to revolve around tax breaks and the like. It's not an uncommon practice when a location is trying to attract businesses of a certain type.

That makes more sense than what you make sound like some kind of program that would see hobos and students filling the company's ranks.

Originally posted by Stradden

Originally posted by Wizardry

I could be wrong but the picture i see here is Funcom using the region to fund free training,to basically get free employees.I guess they figure this will more than offset the leasing cost.I don't think they have bought land and built anything,it sounds like everything is already in place,they are just cashing in on incentives,free employees.

The Canadian Govt. usually has incentives for placing education students and unemployed into the work force,i think this is probably what is going on.There is usually new incentives also for first time businesses,this would also be the case for Funcom.I can see a 2 year lease,milk the system then close it down,but maybe i'm wrong,we'll see.

Um, actually, I'd say they're probably talking about the incentives that the Quebec governmant gives to companies to set up game studios there. From my understanding those incentives tend to revolve around tax breaks and the like. It's not an uncommon practice when a location is trying to attract businesses of a certain type.

That makes more sense than what you make sound like some kind of program that would see hobos and students filling the company's ranks.

Exactly, i'm pretty sure it's not uncommon for local government to welcome foreign companies with some kind of tax breaks.  It has nothing to do with free labors.   Montreal is indeed a very good spot for gaming company, they already have well established company there like Ubisoft.

 lol ,montreal is good technologicly but men the problem of funcom is elsewhere.stop steering in every direction make a sound plan and stick to it lol

and just because player ask for something doesnt mean its good 

remember one thing gaming population is getting lazier and lazier ,so if you give them a sofa they asdk for a lazy-boy if you give them a lazy boy they ll ask for a bed lol

check eq1 correct the bad but not to the point that it become wow 

wow is a great beginner game ,if you like somebody holding your hand all the way(guide walktrough etc)fine but if you miss eq1 for god sake dont give everything player ask just because there lazy ,hell if you give in then what 

48 hours later he finish the game and complain to you it was easy mode.

Funcom moving there is cost effective business decision, nothing more. 

Some states in the US offer incentives to movie studios, tax breaks and discounts, to film there.  That is why that some of the Spiderman movies weren't actually flimed in New York, some scenes were in Ohio.  Let's face it an alleyway looks pretty much the same no matter what city it's in.

As a side note, I've been pleased with the improvements done to AoC.  If this helps Funcom save money to better work on development, all the better.