Canadian Heritage committee  We certainly look at all the competitive aspects. Truth be told, one of the reasons the industry grew at the rate it did especially in Quebec was that we got favourable tax breaks from the Quebec government. It was a great catalyst to the industry. With any business, we look to t

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the internal mobility between studios is a sign, especially in Montreal, that we now have a really great ecosystem of talent that can flow from one studio to another. People are really project driven. They want to work on a specific challenge they'll find in a DC game or

Canadian Heritage committee  If I could just add to that, it is a very fast-growing industry. Of course, we have the artistic side, but the technological side and the online aspect is very important, so R and D is to us something that is obviously ongoing and that's how we keep a competitive edge.

Canadian Heritage committee  It has a development impact. Our labour costs go up compared to our original business plans, but in a way, we still have a competitive environment in Montreal and that is driven a lot by the talent. Of course, if it goes up, then our costs go up as far as our home office is conce

Canadian Heritage committee  That is a very good question.

Canadian Heritage committee  As I've always said, I'll know that we have arrived.... I will know that our industry has finally attained a certain maturity and has reached a certain level of recognition when I can open the Saturday paper and look at the video game listings like I can look at the movie listin

Canadian Heritage committee  One of the things you'll find with video game companies is that we often set up shop in areas of town where other people don't want to go to. Ubisoft is in the Mile End area of Montreal. When I was working there in 1997 the tumbleweeds were rolling on the street and there was n

Canadian Heritage committee  It's really for all jobs. I can give you a very clear example. We needed an expert in virtual communities. We found that person in Korea. So we had her come from Korea to Montreal and provide us with that expertise. It is important to understand that, when we hire one expert fro

Canadian Heritage committee  Obviously, we hire a lot of actors. It's a little different for Warner Brothers because a lot of the characters we use have their own set voices. With Bugs Bunny, I can't always—

Canadian Heritage committee  Exactly. We kind of revive him for a weekend. Sometimes we use tracks when we know exactly where the dialogue will go. We use the local talent unions. The UDA in Montreal, for example, will give us local voice talent that we can use.

Canadian Heritage committee  It depends. Some of the games we're working on are smaller online games, so maybe that team will go up to 40, and you often have the same ratio of 1:1, as far as a tester is concerned.

Canadian Heritage committee  It's a fairly classic sort of bell curve, as far as the number of people working on it. We start with a small core team, where all sorts of design, art, and technology are involved, and then that core team goes through its proof of concept. Then it's approved and we ramp up. We h

Canadian Heritage committee  With all entertainment, it should be done in good measure. It's entertainment, but it's also sports. You have guys who are training for a marathon and then end up with shin splints. It's really an individual responsibility to mix it up with either different entertainment or diffe

Canadian Heritage committee  For us, our games are developed in French and English. In fact, all the games made in Montreal are in both languages. It is very important for us and important for our employees who speak English, French and a multitude of other languages. They come from all over, mainly Canada,

Canadian Heritage committee  Sure. Obviously, just to state it again, intellectual property is what we invest in. It's our brands. It's how we create content. It's really paramount to our business. Certainly we look for protection across the board as far as IP is concerned, and especially online. Sometimes