HALIFAX – Vesuvius Media is the most recent import in a growing Nova Scotia gaming industry.
The company’s owners said they moved here after seeing the gaming industry here first hand during a family vacation in August.
“(Nova Scotia Business Inc) took us by the hand, introduced us to people all over the province who were developing games and we could see that there was this growing game community here and it was very inspiring and we wanted to become a part of it,” said Stefani Angelopoulos, co-owner and communications manager for Vesuvius Media.
Since the early 2000s, the gaming industry in Nova Scotia has grown from one company to 19. The industry now boasts between 400 and 500 employees across the province and an industry association was launched in 2013.
Moreover, most of the video gaming companies are hiring.
“It’s growing all the time in terms of companies and in terms of people being employed,” said Chris Pink, a producer for Frontier, a international gaming company with a branch in Halifax. “Anybody that’s talented we’ll always look at them even if we don’t have a space for them.”
The growth in Nova Scotia reflects similar growth seen around the world, said Stephen Hilchey, the director for gaming and interactive media at Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI). Spending in the gaming industry now outpaces spending in the film and music industries combined.
Hilchey said the province’s digital media tax credit helps Nova Scotia capitalize on that growth.
“Traditionally this industry has not been done here, its been done elsewhere and the fact that these are very high paying jobs its a great way to attract and retain young people in the province, is very important.”
Angelopoulos and her husband Konstantinos Manos, the lead game designer and developer for Vesuvius Media, said they didn’t move here because of the tax credit but because of the gaming community the tax credit helped foster. Manos said he’s hoping to tap into that knowledge base and hopefully work on partnerships for future projects.
“Opening up opportunities bringing people together, so this is for me what made the difference, I think that’s the reason why many big studios from around the world have created a branch here in Halifax,” said Manos. “So for someone that is inside the game development community it’s a great opportunity to come and actually meet with people here, its like going to a conference but I have them 24/7 here.”
Angelopoulos said the fact that she’s a Dartmouth native is just an added bonus to the company’s relocation.
“If things don’t go well we could always move back, we could move any where, we’re very open to the possibilities,” she said. “But we’re hoping things will go well here.”
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