Montréal, June 20, 2016 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and its team of international trade experts, the World Trade Centre Montréal (WTCM), in partnership with the Alliance numérique, have successfully concluded a trade mission to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which took place in Los Angeles June 14 to 16. The talent of 30 Montréal companies was showcased at this major annual video game and interactive entertainment industry event.
“This trade mission gave Montréal companies a chance to shine yet again for their creativity, capacity for innovation and agility,” said Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “They proudly make the city an international hub for the video game industry.”
Companies took the opportunity of E3 to present their most recent innovations and give visitors a chance to experience them. Participants were also invited to exclusive Electronic Arts and Ubisoft press conferences. The delegation had VIP visits to a number of booths, including Nintendo, and also visited Warner Bros. and Google studios. Over 70,000 visitors from some 100 countries took part in the trade show, where 1,600 new products were introduced.
“The group’s strength ensured that the delegation’s successes were remarked upon,” Michel Leblanc said. “The trade mission was a reminder of the excellence of Montréal studios and creators and their drive to develop increasingly high-performance games and more and more international hits. The business community is proud of this ecosystem, and we are convinced that next year the results will be even more impressive for the city’s businesses.”
“Montréal studios have what it takes and meet international standards for quality,” said Catherine Émond, general manager of Alliance numérique. “We can be proud of their success. For some companies, the trade mission organized by the Board of Trade was their first experience at E3. It gave them a sense of the scope of the event and their industry’s weight on the world scene. The trade mission made it possible to form even closer ties between Montréal start-ups, SMEs and major players. This gives new players an enormous leg up, because they have a shorter learning curve and momentum for launching their innovations. Events such as E3 show us that international competition is intense, and Alliance numérique is proud to see the city’s businesses mobilize and work together.”
“We came to E3 with a lot of announcements,” said André Vu, executive brand director at Eidos Montreal, which participated in the trade mission. “E3 attendees were the first to play our new game Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and the public response was excellent. We also showed the result of an innovative partnership with Open Bionics by presenting actual bionic prosthetics that are like those that appear in our game and giving the public a chance to try them on site.”
“After big hits with Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO, which just won the prestigious 2016 Apple Design Award, we announced the upcoming release of Deus Ex GO for mobiles and tablets, with a first version that was exclusively for play at E3,” said Mathieu Piau, marketing director at Square Enix Montréal. “The trade mission meant that Québec studios were well represented, and Square Enix was delighted to have a great booth location at E3. People love Québec products, and our studios’ know-how is widely recognized.”
“This year we came to launch our new release, We Happy Few,” said Guillaume Provost, Compulsion Games’ founder and creative director. “We were lucky enough during the trade mission to be the only independent studio to make a presentation at a press conference held by major industry players Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. This was an incredible platform for visibility, giving us media coverage with The New York Times, Le Monde, the BBC and the CBC, and allowing us to be seen by tens of millions of spectators who follow E3 online. This success reflects the increasing visibility and growth of the Montréal video game industry. From two or three independent studios, we have grown to around 60 studios in Montréal in just a few years. More and more independent developers come to E3, and holding an annual trade mission should attract new ones for the next edition.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has over 7,000 members. Its mission is to be the voice of Montréal’s business community and to promote the city’s prosperity. It is involved in key areas of economic development, advocating a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration and innovation. The Board of Trade also offers a range of specialized services to individuals and to business of all sizes to support them in their growth at home and abroad.
About the World Trade Centre Montréal
With the help of its World Trade Montréal experts, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal offers international trade services to the extended business community, with the support of Canada Economic Development.
About the Alliance numérique
Since its creation in 2001, the Alliance numérique has been the business network for the new media and interactive digital content industry in Quebec. The Alliance has over 100 active members in the video game and interactive digital entertainment sector. It supports their development by offering them an extended range of services and activities. It also increases the number of national and international partnerships, meetings and exchanges to promote the industry’s growth, competitiveness and visibility, in a spirit of respect for all of its players. The Alliance is an important point of contact for the industry with public authorities. For more information, visit www.alliancenumerique.com.
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For information or to schedule an interview:
Guillaume Bérubé
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
514 871-4000, ext. 4042
gberube@ccmm.qc.ca