Quebec independent studies create a video games cooperative
Launched last April 5, La Guilde des développeurs de jeux vidéo indépendants is an organisation that regroups video game developers as well as creators and entrepreneurs from similar domains established in Quebec.
"Based on a democratic structure and built on a model of non-profit production cooperatives, La Guilde has equipped itself to respond in a durable way to the real needs of the independent developers of our province," it states on its website.
Today, La Guilde des développeurs de jeux vidéo indépendants du Québec rallies more than 75 independent studios whose ownership lies in Quebec. It is the equivalent of $18 million in salaries thanks to 600 positions created both directly and indirectly.
"In the last two decades, the industry generated cultural and economical wealth (827 M$ in the Province of Quebec for 2014 according to KPMG) in which Quebec’s creativity shined troughout the world. This also permitted the revitalization of neighborhoods like Saint-Roch in Québec City and the Mile-End in Montreal. The video games industry has become a distinctive emblem for the Province of Quebec, an element of our identity, a vector of growth and the framework of our future".
"La Guilde was created to support the growth of independent studios and to promote their expansion in the context of stakeholders and interests diversification. The local developers were looking for an efficient way to pool their resources while preserving their own creativity. They naturally chose a cooperative-based model, well-known in Quebec, to help them address their specific needs".