Video-game studios donate copies to local libraries to boost offerings

Montreal’s major video-game studios will help the city more than quadruple its collection of video games in local libraries.

Ubisoft Montreal, Electronic Arts Canada, and Eidos Montreal announced on Friday they’ll donate 1,590 copies of video games to help bolster the collection of Montreal’s library network.

The agreement will allow games to be loaned out in all of Montreal’s 27 libraries, where previously only eight libraries had games collections. Montreal plans to make purchases to increase its total video-game collection from 1,280 to 5,000.

“Montreal is a world leader in the production of video games,” said Helen Fotopulos, the city’s executive com- mittee member in charge of culture. She added the agreement will bring more young children into the city’s libraries and expose them to Montreal’s important gaming sector. The city will paste “made in Montreal” stickers on any titles produced here.

“If we can make sure young people are well represented as library members, that would be very good,” said Yannis Mallat, the chief executive of Ubisoft Montreal.

As part of the agreement, Ubisoft will donate 450 copies of 13 games, six of which were made in Montreal. In the next year, it will donate an additional 450 copies of games yet to be released. Eidos Montreal has donated 340 copies of various titles for all platforms, including Montreal-made Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Mini Ninjas and Dungeon Siege.

Ubisoft also will donate 50 games as part of a new partnership with the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, and it will offer up its employees to give educational lectures at the library.

Mallat said his goal as head of a gaming studio is to elevate video games to the point where they are considered to be an essential part of mainstream culture.

This is the second time this year libraries in Montreal are partnering with local gaming studios.

Last January, WB Games announced it would donate a collection of 150 titles, which included video games and movies on Blu-ray discs.