Chicago company announces New Orleans satellite
High Voltage Software, the studio behind The Conduit, is opening a new office in New Orleans.
The company has been looking to expand for some time, and considered new locations in both Georgia and Florida before setting on New Orleans. The move is largely driven by tax incentives and the state’s low cost of doing business, but The Big Easy’s local culture reportedly played a role as well. It’s a fun town.
In return for bringing 80 jobs to Louisiana next year, High Voltage will also receive a $150,000 grant to reimburse relocation costs and workforce training programs.
“This is not about me getting a free back scratch. This is about me being able to reinvest,” said HVS founder and CEO Kerry Ganofsky. “When you’re doing something creative, you take risks to create something and sometimes those risks don’t pan out. A tax credit like this gives you a little more buffer to take those risks and move on to the next level.”
HVS plans to reinvest savings in the fledgling studio so it can build a local team capable of producing its own games, as opposed to merely serving in a support role for HVS’ Illinois headquarters. The company is also working with the University of New Orleans to help foster the school’s computer science program and videogame curriculum.
HVS was founded in 1993 and caught our attention with Wii shooter The Conduit and its promising shelved project The Grinder. In more recent years, the developer has worked alongside Volition on the Saints Row series and Warner Bros. on Mortal Kombat and Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Illinois video game developer to open New Orleans studio, hailed as economic development win [Nola via GamesIndustry]
