Borealys studio wins $750,000 desjardins’ call for projects to create a financial education video game

Montreal, December 10, 2021 – La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec announces that the independent Quebec studio Jeux Borealys has won the call for creative projects for the development of a game-based financial education platform. Over the past few weeks, studios from all over Quebec have taken up the challenge initiated by Desjardins by submitting inspiring projects. At the end of a rigorous selection process by a first independent jury, the Borealys team convinced the Desjardins jury thanks to the quality and originality of its project aimed at 18-30 year-olds.

As part of its collaboration with Desjardins, the studio will benefit from a $750,000 envelope to develop a financial education game and ensure its launch in the fall of 2022.

“Borealys is excited about the opportunity to work with Desjardins to build a financial education video game. We are very pleased that we were able to convince the jury with our proposal and look forward to this major project. The work to build a fun, original and creative game has already begun. We can’t wait to present it to you”, says Louis-Félix Cauchon, ceo of Jeux Borealys.

Entering the world of youth and contributing to their financial education
With its mission to contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities at the heart of its activities, Desjardins is committed to listening to young people.

“We can’t sit back and do nothing when we know that finances are one of the main sources of stress for our young people. In my opinion, we have to think outside the box and reach out to them to identify new solutions that meet their needs. It is with this in mind that we launched the initiative with La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec,” says Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins. “The concept proposed by Borealys Games offers an attractive experience that will allow the acquisition of financial knowledge in a playful manner.”

The data on financial education and young people’s interest in gaming is particularly evocative:

• 44% of Canadians under the age of 35 identify money as their main source of stress
• Young Quebecers (18-34) are more likely to want to increase their financial literacy, and say they don’t have much support for projects that are important to them
• 61% of Canadians play video games, and that number jumps to 70% among 18-34 year olds

Promising proposal and engaging approach
For this special project, Desjardins will make sure to involve young people, including some of its members and clients. Mechanisms to survey them and test the Borealys project will be built into this evolutionary process. This opportunity is unique and will allow Borealys to shine through a structuring and educational project:

“We are very happy to see Quebec’s independent creative talent recognized by a major institution such as Mouvement Desjardins. Our industry is full of creative talent, and our role is to encourage this talent in every way possible. La Guilde was able to accompany Desjardins in the development of the call for projects and act as a conduit with the Quebec video game ecosystem to promote it,” said Christopher Chancey, Chairman of La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec.

About Borealys Games Studio
The Borealys studio was founded in 2014 in Montreal by Louis-Félix Cauchon and Patric J Mondou. In 2017, the studio launched its first game on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch consoles. Named Mages of Mystralia, it gained a following around the world. That same year, it was crowned in the Best in Show category at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) event. Since then, the team of about twenty people has been working on the sequel to this first success, an adventure that will once again take place in the virtual world of Mystralia.

About the La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec
La Guilde is a non-profit organization that brings together independent and international video game developers, creators, educational institutions and entrepreneurs in related fields established in Quebec. Its vision is to cultivate a fertile ground for the industry in order to maintain and strengthen Quebec’s status as a world leader in the video game sector through the collaboration of its players. As a world leader in this sector and with its 270 members, La Guilde is the largest group of its kind in the world.

Information 
Émilien Roscanu, Interim Executive Director
La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec
emilien.roscanu@laguilde.quebec | 514-252-5007 ext 102

Jean-Philippe Lepage, affaires et relations publiques
Mouvement Desjardins
jean-philippe.lepage@desjardins.com | Mobile : 514 260-1819