Biggest video game companies in B.C. - 2011 Edition
Business in Vancouver's annual list of the Biggest video game developers in BC was published today and the usual suspects are near the top. Rankings are based on the number of staff working in British Columbia in 2010. Data was collected via interviews conducting by BIV with the firms that responded to requests for information as well as internal BIV research.
Electronic Arts - 1,200
United Front Games - 227
THQ Canada (Relic Entertainment) - 190
Capcom Game Studios Vancouver (Blue Castle Games) - 165
Slant Six Games - 140
Ubisoft Vancouver - 112
Radical Entertainment - 110
Next Level Games - 100
Rockstar Vancouver - 100
Propaganda Games -70
Piranha Games - 55
Big Park - 50
Koolhaus Games - 50
Utherverse Digital - 47
Hothead Games - 40
Nintendo Canada - 36
ACRONYM Games - 26
Smoking Gun Interactive - 22
Magellan Interactive - 18
Kerberos Productions - 15
Klei Entertainment - 14
So how do these numbers compare to last years rankings. Here are the most obvious changes year-over-year:
Most layoffs: Radical Entertainment cut staff from 175 to 110 & Propaganda Games shrunk from 130 to 70
Most hires: Slant Six Games grew from 120 to 140
However United Front Games seems to be the most impressive story of late. During the 2008 BIV poll they reported 107 staff and they have more than doubled in two years. Looks like they aren't having any trouble filling the the swank new studio Electronic Arts abandoned in Yaletown mid-renovation.
Bring together compelling, interactive storytelling and award-winning 3-D Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game-play and you'll understand why Relic Entertainment earns high praise from players and industry experts alike who salute the studio's vision to become the best RTS game developer in the world.
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Slant Six Games is a video game development company located in Vancouver's Yaletown district. Founded by a group of industry veterans, the company is currently working with top tier publishers on games for current and next generation game systems.
We promote a fun, focused and hard working environment within which to work and are dedicated to the personal and professional development of our staff. Our employees...
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It all started on July 4th, 2005 when 11 of us opened Blue Castle Games in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. We were in a 5,700 square foot facility then and working on one project - The BIGS. Today we are a studio of just over 150 very talented people, set to work hard and have fun this year in our 23,000 square foot facility, working on three new projects. What an exciting time to be at BCG!
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Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, United Front Games was formed in 2007 by former employees of Electronic Arts, Radical Entertainment, Black Box Games, Rockstar, Action Pants, Propaganda Games and Next Level Games.
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Rob is the President of Techvibes Media Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Techvibes.com.
His diverse background includes stints in International Trade Finance, Web Development, and Enterprise Software and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University.
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