Funcom breaks ground in Montreal

Thanks to its generous tax breaks and financial incentives, Canada has emerged as an attractive home for game developers and publishers of all shapes and sizes. Today, Norwegian developer Funcom announced that it, too, has its sights set on Canada, saying that it has set up a new development studio in Montreal. The move comes as part of an effort to strengthen the company's North American presence and tap into the Canadian game industry's burgeoning talent pool.

"Montreal has established itself as one of the world's most important locations for video game production, and we are looking forward to taking part in that success," Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas said in a statement. "The new studio will take advantage of the great incentive programs offered by the Quebec region, incentives that make Montreal one of the most cost-effective locations in the world for developing [massively multiplayer online] games."

Two weeks ago, Funcom announced that Rise of the Godslayer will be the first expansion pack for its massively multiplayer online role-playing game Age of Conan. Funcom noted today that its new Montreal studio will aid in the development of Godslayer, along with the company's all-new MMORPG The Secret World. The Oslo, Norway-based developer also said that it would "move a certain number of key personnel over to the new studio."

With more than 320 employees globally, Funcom also maintains offices in the US, China, and Switzerland. The company, which was established in 1993, has developed more than 20 games, including the adventure games The Longest Journey and Dreamfall and the sci-fi MMORPG Anarchy Online.