Hon. Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology, is pleased to welcome another electronic gaming company to the Atlantic Technology Centre, as Backbone Charlottetown has announced its plans to open a studio in Prince Edward Island.
Backbone Charlottetown is owned by Foundation 9 Entertainment (F9E), the largest independent video game developer in North America. F9E currently has studios in California, Hawaii, Vancouver, Massachusetts and Oregon.
“We strategically approached the company about locating in the province because of their strong reputation within the video game industry and their ability to work on all gaming platforms,” said Minister Currie. “And we have been very impressed with the efforts of the company to hire key individuals for the PEI studio and look forward to working with the company for many years to become a vital part of the growing cluster of electronic gaming and video gaming developers located in the ATC.”
Backbone Charlottetown will begin operations in March. They plan to hire 20 people by the end of 2006. Minister Currie said he was pleased to learn the company was planning to come to PEI, particularly because of what they termed a “capable, untapped workforce.”
“The company has made it known that they have chosen Prince Edward Island because the province is keen for economic growth in the technology sector,” he said. “That type of response from a major company is indication that our Premier’s commitment to building jobs and opportunities for Islanders is working, and the positive relationships we are building with companies throughout North America are paying off.”
There are currently over 25 companies with over 350 employees located at the Atlantic Technology Centre. The annual payroll generated by companies located in the facility is upwards of $18 Million annually.
Backbone Charlottetown will be eligible to apply for tax incentives under the province’s new Innovation and Development Tax Credit program, as well as other existing government incentive programs currently eligible for companies in the province.