Charlottetown company taking board games into virtual reality

Canadians will soon be able to play tabletop-style games on computers in a shared virtual reality space.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the provincial government are providing funding for a new technology being developed in Charlottetown by Sculpin QA.

Sculpin is a video game testing and development company. Responding to a renewed interest in board games, it is building a new virtual reality gaming platform.

The effort promises to create 13 new jobs, including producers, engineers and designers over the coming months.

ACOA is putting in $420,767, which must be repaid.

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) is also supporting the project with up to $144,500 in non-repayable funding.

The government of Prince Edward Island, through Innovation P.E.I., is providing labour rebates to the company worth up to $320,766, some of which will support this specific project.

“We are delighted to be once again ramping up our development work on P.E.I.,” said Deirdre Ayre, head of operations for Sculpin.

“Support announced today will assist in product development and marketing but will also assist in providing meaningful careers for our young people.

“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,” said Ayre.

“The province, ACOA, NRC IRAP, Holland College and UPEI, together with industry, have championed and created a micro gaming hub in Charlottetown that is the envy of many jurisdictions in Canada and well beyond.”