EIDOS EXPANDS MONTREAL STUDIOS

" Our government is especially proud that Ubisoft chose Montréal as a place to expand its activities and innovate. This confirms Montréal' s ability to compete with other large cities around the world and will mean the creation of more than 1,000 jobs in a high technology sector by 2013. Ubisoft decided on Montréal not only because of our government' s offer, but more so due to the creative potential of our work force. We can be proud of this!" declared the premier.

This project will require a total investment of $454.1M. The Government of Québec has earmarked funds of up to $19M. The government' s contribution is based on the interim financing from tax credits, training related to new jobs, conducting studies and collaboration in training of qualified labour in the video game and digital design sectors. Depending on its activities, Ubisoft could also benefit from a tax credit for the production of multimedia titles and film production services.

The project includes two phases. The development of a digital design studio will bring together film and video games, while the expansion of the video game studio will make it possible to increase the number of video games produced in Québec. These two phases will create 1,000 jobs in all by 2013. This translates into attractive career choices for Québec youth in a future sector of our economy.

" As part of this extremely promising project, Ubisoft will hire, over the next few years, hundreds of graduates namely with a background in computer graphics, multimedia and programming. For our government, it is essential to support companies' training plans. By focussing on qualified labour, Québec will be able to continue to create wealth and to come out on top in international competition," continued Ms. Courchesne.