London has many titles. For years, it’s been known as the Forest City, and recently it received the title of UNESCO City of Music.
However, those involved in one of the city’s booming industries think London could also be called Gaming City.
“London is a really interesting place because so much fantastic game development talent started here in London. They learned the trade, left for other companies, and then decided to come back home and settle in,” Digital Extremes President Sheldon Carter said.
Situated in downtown London, Digital Extremes studio stands out as one of the largest video game development centers in the area. It’s known for creating the sci-fi shooter game Warframe, which has captivated millions around the globe for over a decade.
The team at Digital Extremes isn’t alone.
A draft economic development plan presented to a council committee last week points out that London’s gaming industry is an expanding sector that gives the city an edge over others.
Sheldon Carter is the president of Digital Extremes, a game development studio based in London, Ont. The studio is responsible for creating popular video game Warframe, which is played by millions of fans worldwide. (Submitted by Alex Munson)
“London does have an expanding hub of other gaming companies besides Digital Extremes and that’s really positive from an industry perspective because it gives people a little bit of mobility,” Carter said. “London has really flourished from that perspective in the last few years.”
Doom Turtle is one of the newer game development studios in town, founded five years ago by CEO Jeff Evans.
“I initially came to London back in 2003 for a job at Digital Illusions, and I stayed. I liked the city. It was affordable and there was a good community here,” explained Evans.
Behind the scenes of Digital Extremes new fantasy adventure game Soulframe
London is home to one of the biggest video game developers in the world. Digital Extremes, creators of Warframe, are currently developing a new fantasy adventure game called Soulframe. London Morning host Andrew Brown visited their headquarters downtown and got an exclusive look at what they’re working on. The official release date for Soulframe hasn’t been set yet.
A lot of students have landed jobs at local firms like Digital Extremes and Doom Turtle, Reichhardt said, since London offers opportunities that rival larger gaming cities.
“There are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, which are big hubs; London sits right under them as sort of level two,” he mentioned while noting that living costs are lower here with a solid gaming sector.
“The gaming industry is going through some peaks and valleys right now… but our local industry remains very healthy,” he stated confidently. “We’re pretty comfortable telling [students] that if you work hard, there’s opportunity here.”
Because there are so many different types and genres of video games out there, Evans believes there will never be too many developers in this city.
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