Alain Tascan, formerly of EA Montreal and Ubisoft Montreal, has announced the opening of SAVA Transmedia, a new game studio focused on Facebook and mobile titles. The studio plans to hit 50 employees this year, with a total of 200 new jobs for the Montreal area within the next five years. SAVA is “devoted to developing innovative, quality social games for new and fast-growing platforms, including Facebook, iOS, Android and Windows Mobile.”
"I can think of no better place to embark on this exciting new journey than in Montréal with its incredible opportunity and support for entrepreneurship and technology innovation. The combination of social media and new mobile devices has led to the creation of a new market segment for the video game industry. The province of Quebec, and Montreal in particular, rank among the world's best in terms of video game production, and our goal at SAVA is to now make it the global hub for social gaming,” said Tascan.
Tascan originally co-founded Ubisoft Montreal, which develops the Assassin’s Creed franchise. He later left Ubisoft to found EA’s Montreal studio, developer of titles like Boogie and Army of Two.
"The opening of a new video game development studio in Montréal demonstrates once again that this city is a key global player in the entertainment software industry," noted Raymond Bachand, Minister of Finance, Minister of Revenue and the Minister responsible for the Montreal region. "SAVA Transmedia will immediately create jobs and will also contribute to the development of local expertise in this continuously growing industry, namely in social media."
SAVA Transmedia is privately held and funded by Canadian investors including Vanedge Capital, a fund led by former EA execs Paul Lee, Glenn Entis, and Jason Chein.
