The idea of earning a living while playing video games may seem like a dream for some, but it is now possible in Prince Edward Island with the opening of Sculpin QA.
The new video game testing and quality assurance company in Charlottetown has hired five employees and plans to expand to twenty within two years. Sculpin QA will provide testing services to its sister company, Other Ocean Interactive, as well as to publishers and developers throughout the industry.
Development and Technology Minister Richard Brown said Prince Edward Island’s video game development industry is creating new employment opportunities for our youth.
“We are pleased to welcome a fifth video game company to Prince Edward Island,” said Minister Brown. “Sculpin QA adds a testing component which not only helps local companies that need this service, but also provides a chance for our youth to gain valuable experience and potentially get a foot in the door in this exciting industry.”
Andrew Ayre, CEO of Other Ocean Group, said video game testing is an extremely important aspect of the industry.
“Big problems can be avoided and big dollars can be saved when bugs are found early on in the development process,” said Ayre. “We have made our initial hires and we are very impressed. With employees having software testing experience, game design training and computer programming skills, we are able to develop a high quality testing process.”
Other Ocean Group also owns Other Ocean Interactive, a video game development studio in Charlottetown. Developed titles include Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for Xbox LIVE Arcade and Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the Nintendo DS.
Sculpin QA will be located in the Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It will provide pre-certification functionality testing and quality assurance for games developed on all consoles including Microsoft’s Xbox 360™, Sony’s PlayStation 3™ and the Nintendo Wii™, as well as other platforms like the Nintendo DS and Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Arcade.
About Other Ocean Interactive:
Other Ocean Interactive currently employs 27 people from around the globe. The employees have been credited on releases for major consoles from the Super Nintendo to current generation systems. Since opening in March 2006 the studio has delivered, for Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Konami title Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and is developing Disney's Tron and Discs of Tron for the same platform. The studio recently released Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the Nintendo DS, published by Midway. As well, Other Ocean Interactive is developing as-yet unannounced titles for other home and portable platforms.
About PEI Business Development Inc:
PEI Business Development works with businesses in Prince Edward Island to strengthen and expand the provincial economy though business development. Adding value and generating wealth, PEI Business Development offers a diverse range of programs and services to Island-based businesses.