Digital media training studio gets $1.5M boost from province

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2022 (1261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s interactive digital media industry is getting a major boost with the announcement of an extended reality training studio that will not only enhance training opportunities in a rapidly growing area but give the province a competitive edge in attracting new investment.

The province is providing $1.5 million over three years for the new 5,500 square-foot studio that will be built in the concourse area of 201 Portage Ave.

StudioLab XR — scheduled to open by the spring of 2023 — will primarily be a training facility but could be used for smaller commercial production and is expected to generate more than $3 million in revenue over its first three years.

Extended reality (called XR) is a term that includes augmented reality and virtual reality and is expected to grow into a $7 billion global industry in the next few years.

“This will ultimately position Manitoba as a leader in the creation of digital content,” said Louie Ghiz, executive director of New Media Manitoba, which will build and run the studio.

The technological advancement in rendering content, made possible by video game engines, is now blending real worlds with virtual ones.

“It’s changing the way content and media is produced,” said Ghiz. “XR is a tangible fusion of storytelling and cutting-edge technology. It’s way more than the sum of its parts.”

The investment speaks to the growth in the interactive digital media industry in the province, said Economic Development, Investment and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen.

For instance, employment has grown from fewer than 700 to close to 4,000 in the past decade with revenues spiking from less than $40 million to close to $200 million.

Game studios and film and television production are expected to benefit both from the existence of the studio that can be used for certain smaller shoots as well as training people to use the technology.

This kind of investment will give the whole industry a leg up, said Daniel Blair, founder and CEO of Bit Space Development, a successful homegrown company that produces virtual reality training material for the construction, manufacturing and defence sectors..

“We need training opportunities here in the province. It will allow us to ensure that our skills set will continue to grow, which will allow our businesses to grow and increase our hiring capacity,” he said.

Bit Space Developments is about to move into a new facility three times the size of its existing one. The training opportunities will allow it to continue to be competitive with clients across the country and into the U.S.

Interactive digital media may be one of the fastest-growing sectors in Manitoba’s diversified economy, but it is mostly made up of small- and medium-sized enterprises. Having a studio fitted out with new technology will enhance the capabilities of some of those small players such as Rebecca Harrison’s Flightyfelon Games.

She’s producing an action role-playing game with a five-person staff that she said is “not so secretly a personality test.”

“I don’t have a team of animators so it’s often me, along with my mo-cap (motion capture) suit on in my home office miming out entire conversations while my cat watches in total confusion,” she said.

Having such a professional quality studio available will be a game changer, she said.

With global players such as Ubisoft established in the city, the word is getting out about the capabilities that exist in Winnipeg.

For instance, the newest release of longtime local game producer Complex Games, called Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, was a big success, garnering awards for the company and positive reviews.

It was successful enough that the game’s publisher, Frontier Development out of Cambridge, U.K., has acquired Complex Games with the promise of investing in the Winnipeg operations.

“The plan is to grow the Winnipeg studio pretty aggressively. They are making an investment in our Winnipeg operations. I can’t say what the next production will be but we will certainly be working on more games,” said Noah Decter-Jackson, CEO and one of the founders of the company.

It is the first acquisition by Frontier, a company with about 800 employees in the U.K.

“I am delighted to welcome Noah and the team to Frontier, with a view to growing and evolving our development team in Manitoba., Frontier’s CEO Johnny Watts said last week in a release announcing the acquisition.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca