P.E.I. gaming company receives nearly $900K in federal, provincial funding

A Charlottetown gaming company is receiving $886,033 from the federal and provincial governmentto develop tabletop games for the virtual reality market.

SculpinQAis a video game testing anddevelopment company with a focus on virtual reality. The company is looking tohire more staff to develop technology so Canadians can play board games in the virtual world.

The AtlanticCanada Opportunities Agency is supplyingthe gaming companywith a$420,767 loan to hire 13 new staff.

Thisincludesproducers, engineers and designers to be hired over the coming months.

• Can Toronto's new virtual reality arcades avoid the fate of their predecessors?
• B.C. hospice gives patients 'bucket list' experiences with virtual reality

The province is also pitching in $320,766 in labour rebates for the company through Innovation PEI.

'P.E.I. is known throughout the Canadian video game industry as having a vibrant and highly skilled community of developers.- Deirdre Ayre

The National Research Council of Canada is also supporting the project with $144,500 in funding through its Industrial Research Assistance Program.

"Support announced today will assist in product development and marketing but will also assist in providing meaningful careers for our young people," Deirdre Ayre, head of operations with Sculpin QA, said in a news release.

"P.E.I. is known throughout the Canadian video game industry as having a vibrant and highly skilled community of developers and that hasn't happened by accident."

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |P.E.I. loses jobs as unemployment rate rises slightly
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Exercise is key during recovery stage for breast cancer survivors, says doctor