This year is shaping up to be significant for independent game developers in Edmonton.
Caldera Interactive's game concept was chosen from hundreds of submissions worldwide to compete at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco. The game is called The Rabbit Haul. The co-founder and producer of Caldera Interactive, Isael Huard, presented their pitch at the 2024 Game Developer Conference in March.
“The next day we were pitching and then we were upgraded to the winner,” said Isael Huard, the co-founder and one of the producers.
The game involves playing as a cute bunny and spending the day farming.
Huard described it as a Cozy Tower Defense-style game where you plant things like strawberries during the day and defend your “haul” from racoons at night. They are halfway through game development and are now beginning to publicly discuss it to build a community around the game. They are inviting players to join their Discord to play-test the game monthly and provide feedback.“You can really help shape what the game will be,” said Huard.
Caldera Interactive is a relatively new player in the independent game industry in Edmonton. It was established in 2019 by a group of friends who had completed their University of Alberta game development certificate program.
This is their debut game, and they aim to launch it in 2026, provided they secure funding or a publisher. Rabbit Haul Crimson Herring, a local indie company that started in 2020, just released its inaugural game Sovereign Syndicate in January, and it is gaining momentum.
“We’ve sold well over 10,000 copies. Now, we actually just signed a deal to bring the game to Xbox and PlayStation and localize it to some other languages,” said Isaac Otway, CEO and president.
It’s an idea that evolved into a multi-million-dollar project, and Otway is eager to continue creating.
“If we want to stay in this business, we have to adjust to the reality of the investment environment,” said Otway. Kyle Kulyk, who entered the industry in 2011, has witnessed the industry's significant growth and downturn firsthand. “Right now, in Edmonton, it’s quite exciting,” said Kulyk.
In 2018, the province introduced the Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit, which saved developers money on salaries.
“At that point, a bunch of larger studios decided that they were going to come and set up shop in Edmonton,” said Kulyk.
But in 2019, the incoming UCP government removed it.
“For that one year that we had it, the expansion in the industry was literally overnight,” said Kulyk. “Immediately after that tax credit was removed, everything just as quickly shrunk.”
“It was something that was encouraging to us to put us on a level more level playing field with the rest of Canada and it just feels like a missed opportunity,” said Kulyk.
There are other supports from municipal and federal levels like the Edmonton Screen Industries Office and the Canada Media Fund.
"We're one of two provinces in Canada that do not have any kind of tax credits to encourage the industry, so it does not make much sense to expand in Edmonton," said Kulyk.
Since then, the minister of technology and innovation, Nate Glubish, has been tasked by the premier to create a new incentive program in 2022 and 2023.
The minister chose not to comment, but there has been no progress so far.
Despite this achievement, Huard stated, "I believe we're still somewhat the underdog. Although Alberta was represented at GDC, our presence was much smaller compared to other provinces. We have not yet experienced that level of growth, and of course, a tax credit would assist with that. Nevertheless, I think we're still making an impact."
Caldera Interactive recently presented their game concept, The Rabbit Haul, at a pitch competition at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco and emerged as the winners.
“We’re one of two provinces in Canada that don’t have any type of incentivize tax credits and that for the industry, so it doesn’t make much sense to expand in Edmonton,” said Kulyk.
Since then, the minister of technology and innovation, Nate Glubish, was mandated by the premier in 2022 and 2023 find a new incentive program.
The minister declined to comment, but so far there hasn’t been any movement.
Even with this success, “I think we’re still a little bit of the underdog,” said Huard. “Still Alberta we were at GDC but a lot smaller presence than some of the other provinces. We’re not seeing that growth at that scale yet and of course a tax credit would help with that but I think we’re still making waves.”