This independent studio nestled in the Saint-Roch district has only just closed its books. Philippe Pelletier Baribault and Charles Dufour, two former Beenox employees, had to give up on their project launched in 2016.
At the same time, they let their team go and laid off around fifteen employees.
“We won’t hide it: this is not the best time to look for a job in video games,” worries Mr. Pelletier Baribault, in the practically empty room of the Sweet Bandits Studio.
Hiring freezes, cautious investments and increasingly strong competition in financial aid programs are part of the current landscape of the industry.
“We shopped all year to finance our next project. There was interest before, but the taps were now all turned off,” confides the co-founder.
Philippe Pelletier Baribault, co-founder of Sweet Bandits Studio (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
Indeed, the last two years have been particularly difficult for the small company. Despite the release of the shooter Deceive Inc. in March 2023, revenues did not live up to expectations.
Financial stress took its toll on the duo. “We were always in the mode of trying to find solutions. Until the last minute, we looked at all the scenarios. […] It was more and more dangerous to want to continue. The pressure builds up over time,” he says.
The missing boost
These challenges are not unique to Sweet Bandits Studio.
After the excitement that the video game industry experienced during the pandemic, the return to normal is all the more striking.
Reducing expenses is the guideline that several companies in the sector have taken. “We lost studios in the surrounding areas of Quebec,” also adds Mr. Pelletier Baribault.
“The entire industry was shaken up. “There are a lot of people who have lost their jobs.”
— Philippe Pelletier Baribault, co-founder
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“Games are getting more and more expensive. The bar for what is a success is getting higher and higher,” he explains.
His business partner, Charles Dufour, points out the high ratings that are taken by the broadcast platforms, by the publisher and by the Canada Media Fund.
What comes back into the pockets of creators is tiny, he whispers.
“Every person who is going to place, it does us good. It’s the destiny of the team members that matters to us,” says co-founder Charles Dufour. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
The latter argues that financial institutions are also “very unwilling” to share risk when the need is dire.
“They’re going to be there when the money comes in. But if you need a bridge, if you need a little risk, they are not going to take it,” the trained programmer was surprised.
A fractured industry
Philippe Pelletier Baribault affirms that a fissure is emerging in the industry.
On one side are the small studios that focus on games indie low production cost. On the other, the Triple-A studios which have an imposing budget for both creation and promotion.
The independent studio’s premises on rue Saint-Vallier Est are practically empty. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
Those who are halfway there find themselves in a more precarious situation. “We found ourselves in this crumbling center,” concludes Mr. Pelletier Baribault, regarding the end of Sweet Bandits Studio.
However, anyone who is a video game designer is far from believing that the market is saturated in Quebec.
“There is room for people to succeed in gaming. But you have to know exactly what you want to do and what you bring to the table,” he advises.
