In collaboration with the RJCCQ (Quebec Youth Chamber of Commerce) and MDEIE (Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export), Wendigo Studios will accompany a delegation of some ten Quebec businesses, including 3 from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, to the E-Commerce Paris 2009 to offer its expertise in Web game and contest design. This event, with nearly 450 exhibitors, will take place September 29 – October 1, 2009. Wendigo Studios will also take advantage of this visit to Europe to make personal contact with current and future partners.
The management of the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) and Wendigo Studios, the only company specializing in video games in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, have announced a partnership agreement under the Bachelor of Arts degree, Major in Video Games.
This agreement was driven by the desire of both organizations to promote the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experience in science and technology. It was made possible by the quality of the program offered at UQAC and the well-known expertise of Wendigo Studios as well as the professionalism of its staff.
The goal of the agreement is to establish a partnership with UQAC and Wendigo Studios on video game training, specifically the creation of internships. The company has agreed to take on UQAC students as interns in their video game training program.
Wendigo Studios will also offer UQAC support in recruiting new students, developing educational materials and improving course content. In addition, for the next five years the Saguenay-based company will donate an annual bursary of $1,000 to students in the video game training program.
The internships, which may be remunerated, will offer students a unique opportunity to enhance their skills. We are giving them the opportunity to experience the industry firsthand and discover all the aspects of the job,” said Mr. Eric Trudel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wendigo Studios. The company hopes to facilitate the recruitment of this specialized workforce a daily challenge. Wendigo Studios must position itself within a fiercely competitive environment in larger centres such as Montreal or Quebec City.
The success of UQAC’s video game university program is important to the future of Wendigo Studios. “Training youth in our region and offering them a promising perspective on their future allows us to motivate these new students to pursue their career here, in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. This way we can benefit from their knowledge and know-how in our industry,” said the CEO.
“We are happy to be associated with a local business, created by UQAC graduates, whose excellence reaches beyond our borders and whose expertise will benefit our university in terms of recruiting new students wishing to pursue their training in the best institutions possible, in a state-of-the-art sector of the future,” added University rector Michel Belley.
About the Bachelor of Arts with Major in Video Game Design program.
This program, which has been offered at UQAC for four years, is unique in Quebec. The main objective of the program is to train professionals in computer science to take part in high technology developments in the electronic game industry.
Following a 2 day training session in Quebec, 4 members of the Wendigo Studios team received their ScrumMaster certification. They are now ready to apply their newly acquired skills for the service of Wendigo Studios to improve the Scrum methodologies that are already in place.
Scrum is a methodology of Agile development specific to the development of software. This methodology implements the necessary guidelines to ensure a higher quality of our products, to respect planned deadlines, and to provide a product that answers the needs of our clients while remaining within the budget specified at the beginning of a mandate.
Friday April 24th 2009, the Gala of economic merit of the Chamber of Commerce of Saguenay was held. It is with great pleasure to announce that Wendigo Studios has won the "Coup de Coeur" of the Jury.
We would like to share this award with all of our employees who devote themselves to the success and well being of Wendigo Studios. Each one of you makes Wendigo Studios a united team, dynamic and effective. In our industry, these are the talents that make up the wealth of a company and because of you; we are envious of no one.
We would also like to share with our clients and partners who have confidence in our company and allow us to work on and bring to fruition their magnificent projects.
This acknowledgement does not mark the fulfillment of the goals of Wendigo Studios. On the contrary, we are always in constant evolution and expansion in order to better satisfy the expectations that you have for us.
In the last 10 months, our team has grown so much. We've added so much skill and experience that we can now offer much better services to our now many worldwide clients. We wanted to better communicate our growth and show what expertise we can now bring to the table. This led to this totally updated Website.
Our three main products are Video game development, Serious game development and Web development. We believe that these three products are now getting more and more interconnected and that the knowledge gained in one can greatly benefit the others. For example, serious game projects help us better understand how people learn. This has in turn, the potential to help us design better training levels in our video games. Our improved knowledge of online community management can affect the way we design console games. This is just a few examples of the many interconnections possible and it is our goal to make them available to our clients.
We hope that you will enjoy our new Website!
The Wendigo Studios Team
Wendigo Studios, a company specialized in the design and development of video games, have announced a long-term strategic partnership with a video games development studio based in France for the production of at least 6 titles for Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii platforms.
"Our French partner, Zig-Zag Island, has signed several video games contracts for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms. They found this partnership in Wendigo Studios" according to Éric Trudel, CEO of Wendigo Studios.
To realize those titles, Wendigo will have to recruit twenty people by April 2009. "It's quite a challenge, but we hope to motivate people with experience in the video games industry in the Montreal area to relocate to our region. We offer a work environment for the employees where their views are all taken in account. This may encourage very creative people to join our team. In addition, the cost of living is low and the quality of life is really high for young families" said Éric Trudel.
Wendigo Studios hopes to fill a dozen jobs very quickly in several categories like game designer, 3D artist, 3D programmer, Web programmer (Flash). Potential applicants are encouraged to consult the company's website at http://www.wendigostudios.com/en/career.html."In addition to creating twenty new jobs, this agreement allows us to ensure the current 14 employees jobs are stable." says Éric Trudel.
About Wendigo Studios
Established in 2006, this organization, a unique one in Saguenay, is working in the international market of console video games, Web video games and promotional web contests. Since its creation in 2006, Wendigo Studios has won eight prizes, including three in 2007 at the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest.
Technical and financial help
"This journey is out of the ordinary in that starting a new business in video games can't be done alone. We were able to count on, and still to this day, the help of several partners that we would like to thank, in particular the 'Centre Local d'Emplois', UQAC, the CEE-UQAC, and the CLD of Saguenay. Without them, the realization of our dream of creating video games in Saguenay - Lac-St-Jean wouldn't have been possible, " says Eric Trudel.
Qualified Labor
Due to the new bachelor degree program with a major in video game design at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi(UQAC), Wendigo Studios ensures an academic qualified workforce, while slowing the exodus of young graduates to big metropolises. "As the video game industry is growing around the world Quebec currently occupies a special place in the design and development of new games. We need skilled workers. The proximity of UQAC and the fact that we are alone in the region to offer the types of jobs directly related to academic training in video games puts us in an advantageous position regarding the hiring of these High-level graduates, " says president and CEO of Wendigo Studios, Eric Trudel.
Source : Éric Trudel
President and CEO, Wendigo Studios
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September has arrived, the air is getting cooler and snowmobile enthusiasts are starting to get that itch. The snow is almost here. We have that same itch here at Wendigo Studios as we continue to push forward in development. We have made great progress and many improvements recently. As we continue to add and improve art assets we have also developed new technologies that have enabled us to create huge maps that stretch for miles and miles of beautiful ski resort wonder.
Here at Wendigo Studios we have been working very hard to bring our realisation to life. X-Sled Hill Climb is looking and feeling better everyday. The team has met and overcame many challenges in order to bring you the best snowmobile gaming experience ever. We have come so far and although there is still a lot of work to be done the finish line is in sight!
Wendigo Studios just won the first prize at the regional level in the "Technical and technological innovation" category of the Quebec entrepreneurship contest. Congratulations to the other winning businesses and entrepreneurs. We wish you all the best at the big national finals which will take place at the Capitol de Québec on the 19th of June 2007!