MONTREAL – Could Quebec become a leading hub for the development of a production industry focused on virtual and augmented reality?
Maybe.
On Tuesday, the Quebec Film and Television Council released the results of a study into the possible creation of a “centre of excellence” in AR and VR. It suggests that the province’s position as a centre for technology, film and video production, visual effects and game development make it an ideal place for investment.
And since the technology is in its infancy, now is the time to act.
“It’s the wild west. The market is for the taking,” said René Bourdages, President and founder of ELEVADO Media, which conducted the study. “Quebec could be the first territory in the world to appear on the radar of producers and studios, the investors in this technology.”
The low Canadian dollar only increases the incentive for foreign companies to do work here, said Pierre Moreau, head of the QFTC (pictured).
Though the study provides a lot of information suggesting a future in the VR/AR industry, it’s light on specifics of how to get there. How should tax credits be structured to help the industry thrive? What does the industry need from this centre of excellence? Where will funding for a dedicated investment fund come from? And what specific objectives will the centre have? These are all questions that will be dealt with in Phase 2 of the feasibility study, Moreau said.
“We’re going to progress in a documented way, step by step,” he said.
What the industry needs most is structure, said Bourdages. It needs people to connect players together. It needs a mechanism to ensure that training and education are adapted to meet the quickly evolving needs of the industry. And it needs economic incentives, including a fund to support intellectual property.
VR and AR have promising applications not only in gaming and other entertainment, but journalism, education, medicine, commerce and the military. More than 30 Quebec companies are already working on this technology, and want to see that industry better organized.
Now they just have to do it fast, before some other region does.
