Why Edmonton Creating new worlds of adventure and cooperation

Teamwork is fundamental for Jeff Cho. 

He’s an officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He’s also one of the founders of Caldera Interactive, an independent video game company in Edmonton. The studio is working on its first game.

“We want it to be a multiplayer experience, something that you share with your friends,” he says. “It’s a non-violent horror adventure. We want you to play this on your computers in the dark—because it’s going to make it scarier—but in conversation with your friends. It’s a game that really pushes collaboration and being able to work together.” 

Caldera also received funding from the Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO), set up by the City of Edmonton in 2017. So did Polar Tabby Interactive, the local makers of Catlandia: Crisis at Fort Pawprint. The small team, led by Ryan Bromsgrove, worked on the game for about five years before releasing it in 2020. A sequel is in the works.   

“It’s one thing to have an idea, it’s another to actually think of all the many tiny things that go into making something so complicated work,” he says. 

Edmonton’s video game industry began, of course, with BioWare in 1995. It’s home to some of the world’s most popular games—such as Baldur’s Gate and Mass Effect—and was eventually acquired by the international juggernaut, Electronic Arts.

Casey Hudson joined BioWare in the late ‘90s. He launched his own indie company, Humanoid Studios, with offices in Edmonton and Kelowna, in 2021. It’s now developing its first game and recently released some images, set in a sci-fi universe.

“Growing up here made me feel like anything is possible,” he says. “The fact that a major global video game company was right here in Edmonton got people thinking about the fact that you could do this kind of work in Edmonton.”

“Out of all of this, there’s an indie game scene that has come up really well. It’s a very vibrant, positive and supportive community. We know that it’s kind of special that we’re doing this here in Edmonton.”

Oster now runs Beamdog, one of Edmonton’s largest studios. Launched in 2009, the company is known for making enhanced editions of role-playing games—such as Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights—for smartphones, tablets and desktops. 

He says the secret for Beamdog’s success is simple. “It’s really about embracing each other’s strengths and understanding that we’re stronger as a group than we are individually,” he says. 

“I think Canadians, and especially Edmontonians, have this almost anti-superstar attitude. It’s not about the star, it’s about the entire cast. Without them, the production doesn’t happen. That’s the greatest thing about working with skilled and talented people: they take ideas that are sometimes just loose concepts that you have and they flesh them out. The results are so much better than what you have in your head.”