The city of London, Ontario continues to harbor aspirations for a local technology center based around videogames and has $5 million in funds ready to kick start the project.
There’s still no timeline for the intended center, but a plan, according to the LF Press, would have the federal government kick in $10.4 million of the total $24 million needed to get the project off the ground.
Slant Six Games Director of Technology Paul Martin, whose company is based in Vancouver, thinks the center would give London a leg up against fellow Canadian cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, though he warned that offshore competition would be fierce as well, stating, “I am seeing huge amounts of good, high quality content from outsourcing studios right now in China and India.”
Battlegoat Studios Lead Designer David Thompson said that London in order to further its place as a home to game development, the municipality would need an “anchor tenant,” much like Toronto recently scored with the addition of Ubisoft Canada.
“If government does not support this industry, it will go offshore,” added Thompson.
