Gearbox Software Expands With Second Studio In Quebec City

Days after Bethesda Game Studios opened its second studio in Montreal, another studio is on its way to the province of Quebec. Gearbox Software, known for the Borderlands series, is opening Gearbox Studio Quebec in Quebec City, nearly a four-hour drive northeast of Montreal.

For the company, which is based in Frisco, Texas, the new office marks the first time Gearbox Software has expanded its reach outside of its Texas headquarters, and it seems the new team will hit the ground running. The announcement stated that the Canadian studio is already hard at work with its first title, with the eventual goal of “growing to AAA production capability through 2016.”

Positions OpenSenior ProducerLead Game DesignerTechnical Art DirectorTechnical DirectorNarrative DirectorUX DirectorLead ArtistLead AnimatorTechnical AnimatorLead IT SpecialistSenior Concept ArtistSenior Character ArtistSenior Level ArtistSenior Level DesignerSenior ProgrammerSenior Environment Artist

Dr. Sebastien Caisse takes on the role of co-studio head and Director of Operations. Dr. Caisse’s previous positions were business development director for Quebecor, and business development manager (and writer) at Squeeze Animation. The other leader for Gearbox Studio Quebec is Pierre-Andre Dery, who is also the Studio Creative Director. Dery’s resume includes the position of Art Director at Activision, working on notable projects such as the Skylanders franchise, and a previous position at Volta, a visual development studio, where he contributed to the artwork of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and World of Warcraft.

Pourquoi Québec?

The move to Quebec City is a calculated one, based on the fact that the province, according to the financing corporation Investissement Québec, offers tax credits up to 37.5 percent. The attractive tax break lures many companies to the area, which in turn boosts government revenue.

Montreal is already home to growing list of studios, most notably Ubisoft, BioWare, Square Enix and Bethesda Game Studios. Quebec City also holds another Ubisoft studio, Larian Studios (the developers behind Divinity: Original Sin) -- and now, Gearbox Studio.

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Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.

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