The fifth largest co-operative financial group in the world, Desjardins, is allocating CA $750,000 (£437,721) to a Quebec-based co-op of video games developers.
La Guilde brings together 162 independent studios that employ nearly 2,200 people, making it the largest video game co-op in the world.
The funding will allow it to expand the resources and services it provides to around 200 independent developer studios across Quebec. Currently, the co-op runs around 100 member studios in the Greater Montreal Area, 20 studios in Quebec City, 40 others throughout Montérégie, the Eastern Townships, Shawinigan, Drummondville and Rimouski.
The co-op enables developers to share expertise as well as get access to group and business insurance, human resources development, accounting and legal services. Developers also get support with applications for industry grants and tax credits as well as marketing and brand management.
“I’m especially proud of our contribution to La Guilde,” said Guy Cormier, president and CEO of Desjardins Group. “It made perfect sense for us, as a co-operative, to support the biggest co-operative in the video game development industry. Quebec’s independent development studios are using the ‘co-opetition’ approach to gain a solid foothold in the market and achieve their goal of making Quebec a world leader in the video game industry.”
“La Guilde was created from a need for independent video game entrepreneurs to band together and share their expertise,” said president Louis-Félix-Cauchon.
“For us, the co-operative model—and the philosophy and values that go along with it—was an obvious choice. Our aim is to create collective wealth and increase Quebec’s visibility. We’re grateful to Desjardins, a world leader in co-operatives, for giving us the means to achieve our goal, which is to ensure the sustainability of Quebec’s independent video game industry by contributing to our members’ growth.”
