Some may not know this, but Batman: Arkham City developer Rocksteady Studios is based in North London. As such, the studio has had a first-hand look at the death of other UK-based studios, including Bizarre Creations and Black Rock Studios. Arkham City game director Sefton Hill recently told CVG that conditions in the region have lead to talent finding other places to strut their stuff.
“A lot of my friends have moved abroad to get work; there's a real talent drain. Montreal is a central place for development and it's mainly because the tax breaks they give are so phenomenal. It's a real shame, because home computers were so popular and the bedroom programming scene was so big we have some of the best talent in the world in this country. That situation is rapidly changing and it's such a shame,” said Hill.
A number of lead studios have opened in Canada in the past few years, including THQ Montreal, WB Games Montreal, and Gameloft Toronto.
“We have great developers here but those numbers are dwindling. You just think about quality developers like Bizarre Creations, Black Rock - people who are making really good games and going out of business. Those guys were so talented so how can that happen? I just think that we could have been in Montreal's position with that backing from the government. It's such a big industry now and we could be world leaders,” Hill added.
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