The creativity and innovation on display last week during the Montreal International Gaming Summit (MIGS) was next-level. Not only were attendees turning out impressive and imaginative looks in honor of Halloween, but stakeholders across the gaming ecosystem shared their vision and support for the next-generation of gaming innovation.
The Boast team was out in full force during Day 1 mingling with creators at Booth 214 and across the Marché Bonsecours. This included seasoned individual developers and creators, dev shops and community organizations from across the world who are passionate about advancing what digital media can do.
From an amazing panel by our floor-neighbors Pink Triangle Press on inclusion and 2SLGBTQI+ representation in gaming to a stellar 101 on game marketing from Xbox, we’re learned a ton about the incredible ecosystem (and funding opportunities) that are uniquely available to gamers in Quebec.
This includes Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC) and the E-business tax credit (CDAE), which—along with the country’s banner Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit—can help teams building new games diversify and maximize their capital strategy.
Beyond tax credits, we also learned about how the larger tech community shows up to support fellow gamers.
A global community for gaming innovation
Mariève Beauchemin of Indie Asylum is one such gamer who caught up with Paul Davenport to chat about the incredible opportunity unique to gaming startups in Quebec and the innovation her team is driving.
Along with having an incredible funding program from both the provincial and federal government, the accelerators and incubators in this corner of Canada are punching high in supporting the next generation of digital media all-stars.
Marcelo Martins, one of the amazing members of the PTW team, also took time to chat with the Boast crew during Day 1 of MIGS 2024.
For 30 years, PTW has been driving global innovation in the gaming space. But as Marcelo explains to Paul Davenport, the opportunity (and support) that’s unique to digital media businesses in Quebec is unmatched on the world stage.
From dubbing to development, PTW has the expertise to take any game to the next level—and Boast has the know-how to maximize access to critical R&D funding.
Tia Young from GameDevMTL is another exciting innovator who is helping connect the region’s gaming and developer communities through a one-stop-shop newsletter that features the can’t-miss events unique to Montreal.
Tia spoke with Paul Davenport about how unique the local gaming ecosystem is and the massive support—both in terms of funding and expertise—that’s on offer in Quebec.
An ecosystem of gaming support
GameDriver shares a similar ethos as Boast: Let’s enable our customers to focus on quality and innovation and not waste time on activities outside their expertise.
Noah Langer and his team are helping gaming companies bring their vision to life while providing access to resources they need for growth.
It’s an amazing philosophy and a recipe for success that every entrepreneur must embrace.
We caught up with Noah and other friends from the floor later on Day 2, when the costumes came out and the vibes got spooky.
When we weren’t in awe of the costume creativity, we were catching up with leaders in teh gaming space like Ryan Valley. Along with having his fingers on the pulse of the industry, he’s an amazing developer in his own right who knows how critical community is to finding success in this space.
We also wanted to hear from Ryan: Why isMIGS2024 the place to be for gaming innovation?
As Ryan explains, Montreal and Quebec are the hub for the entire industry thanks to both the amazing community and the unique access to funding at both the federal and provincial levels. It helps give creators the lift they need to see their great ideas take flight.
Embracing all identities in gaming
Gina Hara and Pink Triangle Press—our neighbors on the main floor–recognize that to lead the world in driving gaming innovation, we need to ensure that the many identities that make this sector so exciting are represented—and on their own terms.
Along with tax credits at the federal and provincial levels, there are a wealth of organizations that are committed to expanding access to this exciting tech ecosystem—and Gina’s team relish the opportunity to evangelize innovators within the 2SLGBTQI+ community who are making waves in this space.
Connections like these are what make events like MIGS 2024 so special and very necessary to move the world forward.
Resources to maximize your innovation potential
If you’re working on a gaming project in Quebec, you can’t afford to miss out on the government cash on offer to help teams like yours develop a game-changing interactive experience.
The Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (IDMTC) is a potential refund offered to businesses across the provinces that are focused squarely on innovating entertainment and education media—with max potential refund of up to 37.5 percent!
For Quebec, however, how this tax credit is being apportioned will be shifting over the next few years. We break down what this means for claimants, as well as the best way for businesses to leverage IDMTC alongside other government funding sources in our whitepaper here:
LEARN MORE ABOUT IDMTC
CDAE is another incredibly lucrative program unique specifically to Quebec that covers a wide range of eligibility criteria for technical employees in IT sector.
Like IDMTC, CDAE is also seeing it’s refundable and non-refundable apportionment rebalanced over the next few years to account for provincial budget shorfalls.
We also break down the restructuring as well as how teams can tap into CDAE alongside programs like SR&ED in this guide as well.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CDAE
To learn more about how Boast can help you maximize your access to the cash you deserve to build amazing gaming products, talk to an expert today.
