Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For Ontario

Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For Ontario

July 9, 2009

In yesterday's GamePolitics coverage we took note of an editorial in Canada's National Post which slammed the Ontario government's recent announcement that it would grant Ubisoft $263 million for the publisher's new Toronto studio.

Canadian blogger Eli Green offers the opposite view, however, claiming that the deal is a good one for Ontario because it will boost the local economy. In an opinion piece for Comic Book Bin Green writes:

To begin wit... Torontonians, or anyone else from the general vicinity, looking for a position with the [Ubisoft] will no longer have to make the... six hour jaunt to Quebec... That means more talent stays within Ontario, which, naturally, is beneficial for the province as a whole.

There is something far more important happening here though... an investment of this magnitude, in this industry, from the government of Ontario was long overdue... If the government plays its cards right, the Ontario video game development community should continue to grow and thrive, giving a nice boost to the economy, and local talent will continue to be just that – local.

It's not just important news for Ubisoft, it's important news for Ontario.

GP: In the pic, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty (right) and Ubisoft CEO Yannis Mallat seal the deal...

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Comments

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by Snipzor - July 9, 2009 at 12:19 pm -0500

 Well it is a smart move for many reasons. For Ontario, Quebec, and Ubisoft.

Economically this is also a good deal, here is "pnjunction" of Fark explaining why.

"It's over 10 years. 26.3 million a year. Let's say those 800 people make 50k/year (that's low-balling it). That's 40 million a year in paid wages. The company will pay more in rent, utilities, equipment, etc... A big chunk of all of this will come right back to the government in taxes. They're also more likely to grow even further than pack up and leave in 10 years. It will also stimulate the industry as a whole in the area. Directly, they'll probably be hiring local consultants and contractors to work with. It's unfortunate that the norm these days is to throw money at companies like this, but this is a relatively good deal."

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by jedidethfreak - July 9, 2009 at 5:21 pm -0500

Given the economy in general and the volitility of the gaming industry in particular, saying it's "likely to grow even further than pack up and leave in 10 years" is financially irresponsible.

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Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by Xveers - July 9, 2009 at 5:49 pm -0500

Except for the fact that it's still not a deal where Ubisoft is given money. If they go belly up in five years, then the Ontario economy still benefits from their presence for those five years. That's local salaries being paid and spent locally. Food being bought, entertainment, electronics, office supplies etc etc etc...

 

Best keep your wits about you: The gears of life are always spinning, and ignorance eventually means you'll get caught in them.

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by jedidethfreak - July 9, 2009 at 5:58 pm -0500

True, but the decision to do this in the first place shouldn't be based on faulty economic advise.  Here in the USA, our government is probably going to go bankrupt, based on the idea that we could buy ourselves out of debt.  These decisions were supposedly based on a picture of the economy that was better than what it turned out to be.

---

Freedom of speech means the freedom to say ANYTHING, so long as it is the truth. This does not exclude anything that might hurt someone's feelings.

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by Xveers - July 9, 2009 at 8:02 pm -0500

I must have missed something. Faulty economic advice? There's a pretty big difference between doing tax breaks and and actually giving out cash, both on a straight cashflow basis as well as on a policy & effects basis. The games industry is one of the few that hasn't had the bottom drop out from underneath it (well, computer/console anyhow. Miniatures and RPGs are currently going through an extinction level event).

 

 

Best keep your wits about you: The gears of life are always spinning, and ignorance eventually means you'll get caught in them.

Re: Writer Argues That Ubisoft Toronto Deal is Good For ...
Submitted by Vake Xeacons - July 9, 2009 at 8:18 pm -0500

The deal is good. The price is rediculous.

Yes, Toronto will benefit from Ubisoft's studio. But this whole deal could have been closed at a fraction of the cost they paid.

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