Montréal, November 27, 2020 – Organized by Ubisoft, La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec and Québec EPIX, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal and Investissement Québec International, the third edition of La Caravane is coming to an end for independent studios in Québec after more than six months on the international road. The project’s objectives were to support the studios’ sales efforts in a context where the cancellation of major trade shows due to the pandemic has resulted in a break in marketing cycles for 40% of Québec studios.
Twenty-five studios were able to participate free of charge in the entire initiative, held in a virtual format that featured several phases, including
June – July: a program that offered training in the art of effective online presentation, on the key elements for presenting your game to publishers and investors and on the specifics of each? Market (Europe, Asia, North America). The independent studios also had the opportunity to present their games in front of international experts.
August to November: a complete schedule of six international virtual missions was developed to ensure a strategic presence in the various growth markets for Québec video game studios, such as devcom digital conference, Indie Arena Booth at Gamescom, Canada Games Online, Tokyo Game Show, XDS Summit and MEGAMIGS.
The coaching was enhanced by the support of economic attachés from the network of Québec delegations abroad, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service – Global Affairs Canada and mentors specializing in marketing.
“Now more than ever, our industry needs to pull together and help each other to keep the momentum going. Congratulations to La Guilde, Québec EPIX and its partners who have reinvented the concept of La Caravane and enabled local entrepreneurs to perfect their approach to publishers and international investors. « said Francis Baillet, Vice-President – Corporate Affairs at Ubisoft.
“In the context of a pandemic, we have very quickly put in place the means to protect the sustainability of our industry’s achievements. Québec is recognized around the world as a leader for the quality of its productions, but also for its pool of experts with creative talent! I am enthusiastic about the agility, resilience and productivity of Québec’s video game entrepreneurs,” said Nadine Gelly, Executive Director of La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec.
“By adapting to the imperatives of COVID-19, this new concept from La Caravane is once again a testament to the important collaboration that takes place within our industry. Having the interests of our members as our priority of action, I am firmly convinced that this edition was able to meet the current needs of our Québec developers.” said Mariona Ferrer, Director of Québec EPIX.
“La Caravane and La Guilde have given us a great deal of added value: training and coaching, business intelligence, opportunities to participate in international trade shows, business meetings with major publishers, and above all, the support. We are very happy to have had the chance to participate and to have access to well thought-out and organized programs to meet the marketing and business development needs of video game producers like us. ” said Angela Mejia of Clever Plays, who won the 2020 Best Multiplayer Game Award for their participation in Ubisoft’s Indie Arena Booth during the Gamescom mission.
“The content of the conferences during the virtual caravane was truly relevant to all independent studios working on their intellectual property, especially the newcomers. Often in Québec, we’re good at making games, but when it comes to marketing and business development, we are a bit out of our element. Knowing how to present your game in an exciting way to investors or our target audience is what will make the difference for a studio that will succeed and one that will hit a wall. ” said Laurent Mercure of Chainsawesome Games studio.
“La Caravane gave us the opportunity to meet clients, build strategic partnerships and introduce our game to potential investors. The missions were therefore useful for our business development,” said Eduardo Sajgalik of WatchaGames.
La Caravane was made possible thanks to Ubisoft’s and gouvernement du Québec’s contributions. It was organized by La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec in close collaboration with its partners: Québec EPIX, Investissement Québec International and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal.
About La Caravane, Tour of Québec Entrepreneurs in Video Games
La Caravane is an annual event organized around four main themes: training; networking and professional exchanges; succession planning and discoverability for the general public. This year, the exceptional context of the crisis has prompted us to prioritize virtual training and professional exchanges in order to facilitate the adaptation of businesses in the short term.
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Information:
Andrée-Anne Pelletier
Director of Communications and Public Relations
La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec
Cell: 514 248-7844
andree-anne.pelletier@laguilde.quebec
