Video-game producer Ubisoft will be expanding in Quebec.
The company -- which already employs 3,000 people in the province -- announced Monday that it will be opening up 500 more jobs for new employees.
Representatives from Ubisoft broke the news of the expansion alongside Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, and three of the province's top cabinet ministers on Monday.
The growth will come courtesy of a collaborative financial effort between Ubisoft and Quebec government, who will collectively invest nearly $400 million towards the expansion. The money is to be spent over a period of seven years.
Ubisoft has made it clear that the expansion would not have been possible without support from the government.
Marois said that her government's contribution to the industry will be "significant."
In addition, Quebec tax credits will pay more than a third of the salaries for many of the jobs being created.
The initiative will help amplify and secure the city of Montreal's position as a video-game hotspot. As it stands, the city already boasts the largest video-game market in the country, and is considered to be the third most important in the world in terms of video-game production.
“Montreal is very rich in terms of universities and highly skilled training programs,”said Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat.
Moreover, Ubisoft is the third largest video-game publisher worldwide. Its popular titles amassed $1.75 billion in sales last year, and its investment in Quebec is designed to keep it at the top of its game as the next-generation consoles come on the market later this year.
When making the announcement on Monday, Pauline Marois said her government's "obsession" is job creation.
The Ubisoft announcement has been one of several coming from the PQ government in recent days.
Suspicions are brewing that an election could be on its way. But, when asked to comment on that possibility, Marois simply laughed it off.
"It's not on the agenda right now," she said. "We'll see, maybe after the municipal elections are over, whether we are headed to a provincial election… We are not thinking about this issue for this autumn.”
