Israeli free-to-play mobile game giant Playtika will close its Montreal studio on June 1er next July, which should cause the loss of 88 jobs, learned The newspaper.
“As part of its ongoing efforts to optimize performance and align the business with the current environment, Playtika has consolidated some of its operations, which has resulted in the closure of our operations in markets such as Los Angeles, Montreal and London”, confirmed to the Log Marc Cohen, company spokesperson.
No less than 88 job losses
According to the layoff notice from the Ministry of Labour, the Playtika studio located on rue de la Gauchetière Ouest will lay off its 88 employees on Canada Day.
In total, in North America, more than 250 workers will be laid off in this wave, reports the Israeli media Globes.
Sold for $4.4 billion in 2016
In 2016, Caesars Interactive Entertainment, headed by Quebecer Mitch Garber, sold its Playtika online games division for US$4.4 billion.
At the time, the buyer was a Chinese consortium with Yunfeng Capital, a firm of Alibaba founder Jack Ma, and game developer Shanghai Giant Network Technology Co.
Today, Playtika has over 4,000 employees. Some 34 million people play its games every month, like Bestfriends Where Bingo Blitz.
Generous tax credits
Remember that Quebec has one of the most advantageous tax credits for the video game industry in the world, according to Montreal International.
“The tax credit can reach 37.5% of eligible expenses if the multimedia title is available in French. If the title is not available in French as soon as it is released, the credit rate is at most 30%, ”notes the organization.