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Jordan Schidlowsky was successful in applying for a Digital Game Development Grant for his project, Goober Dash.
There aren’t many industries where 99% of revenue comes from out of province. But Jordan Schidlowsky and the team at Winter Pixel Games are proving that digital game development is one of them.
Winter Pixel Games’ online multiplayer game, Goober Dash, is a 2D platformer that has players race each other to a finish line in real time. The game sees players battle against each other in “knock-out” rounds, fighting to be the last player standing. Players compete for points on a live, ladder-based global leaderboard to unlock character cosmetics and other in-game player attributes. The free-to-play game is widely available on several devices, leading to over 1.5 million people having played.
The game is fun, addictive, and a boon to the provincial economy.
“Everyone who works for us lives and works in Saskatchewan,” says Schidlowsky. “All of our revenue is from outside of Saskatchewan and all of our expenses are here in the province. It’s a great formula.” With digital products such as Goober Dash, the main cost of business is labour. A strong team – like the one at Winter Pixel Games – and a few laptops are all that’s needed.
Unlike manufacturing, where there are massive upfront costs and costs of goods sold, digital game development is an incredible industry for a province to be in. As Schidlowsky points out, “Supporting this industry brings a lot of money into the province. And it stays here.”
Funding from the Digital Game Development Grant helps developers scale up to build larger projects, like Goober Dash. “It really accelerates the growth and development of the studio,” states Schidlowsky. “With the funding, we can do more and grow quicker.”
In an industry where creators can live and work wherever they please, Schidlowsky and his team are proving Saskatchewan is a great place to be.
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