I am leaving the largest group of game developers in the world...

Time is a paradoxical concept...

As an entrepreneur, things never move fast enough for me. Everything is always far away... whether it’s the next goal to reach or the next game to launch. 

It’s only when we stop for a second to allow ourselves to step out of this haste that we can actually measure and feel what has been accomplished. 

I am leaving La Guilde today, which I co-founded six years ago now, and I would like to take the time to assess our improbable co-op and above all to highlight the exceptional contribution of the men, women, developers, artists and partners who made it possible.

●      First, I would like to thank my friend, Louis-Félix Cauchon. Those who know him know that he is a true and proud man from the Saguenay area. These people are builders who are known for their audacity to dream the impossible along with the naivety to then follow through on those dreams. Louis-Félix knew, before all of us, that we were the largest group of game developers in the world. 

●      In 2014, I co-founded Affordance Studio. At that time, I was worried about being able to pay my rent at the end of the month and how to communicate effectively with my programmer. La Guilde, for me then, was the need for mentorship and how to get important advice ... I was lucky to meet Marc Beaudet, Guillaume Provost, David Fugère-Lamarre, JF Boivin, Atul Mehra and Simon Darveau. It is because of these people that La Guilde exists today, and that I am still in business today.

●      La Guilde was also born out of a desire to break out of isolation and create a strong business network. For this, I also want to thank Tanya Grenier and all those who collaborated with us to create our first events like Jam Nation. These events have always been made for devs and by devs, fueled by the goodwill and participation of independent studios. A big thank you especially to Outerminds, Guiz and his entire team, who have always been active participants and teammates despite all the small imperfections each event had. I know you all miss Jam Nation, and I hope that one day we'll find the time and money to resurrect this important event whose goal it is to boost the creativity and the integration of future generations of developers.

●      I would also like to say thank you to Red Barrels, Philippe Morin, David Chateauneuf and Hugo Dallaire. Without them, there would be no MEGA in Quebec... there might not even be a Guilde. You've been big brothers to the industry and you've had an important role to play in this endeavor (get ready for my next big project ??).

●      I would like to say a big thank you to Mouvement Desjardins, especially Valérie Savaria, a great ally who held together La Guilde, as well as Diane Derome, our fairy godmother, who appeared at a moment we needed her most. Diane, without your enthusiasm, your experience and your great care, we would be in dire straits today.

●      I would like to thank Jean-Martin Aussant, a great ambassador for Quebec’s social economy. Jean-Martin not only led La Guilde masterfully, but also helped to give maturity, weight and credibility to our words and actions.

●      Finally, I would like to thank Francis Baillet, who has also been a great ally of La Guilde for a long time and who has been a great unifier. Thank you, Francis, for putting your passion and intelligence at the service of our community.

●      Of course, we must salute the energetic and tireless Nadine Gelly as well as the team she has assembled. I am reassured that, under their leadership, La Guilde will be able to take flight and reach stratospheric heights.

●      A big thanks to Dominique Lebel as well, who had the difficult task of presiding over the new Guilde in the tough times we face today. With my friend and partner Christopher Chancey, who assumes the vice presidency, La Guilde is building a strong and upstanding leadership (by the way if you've read this far, vote for Chris in the Arista contest for Young Techno-Creative Entrepreneurs).

In 2020, Quebec is one of the most important hubs for game development. With nearly 400 companies and more than 13,000 jobs, our industry creates models and standards that are used around the world. The history of video games, which will be taught in schools and universities for decades and centuries to come, was written here. I'm proud of us. 

Thank you to all my friends in the industry whom I could not name here, for your contribution and for these great years of building our ecosystem together ...

Now, let’s stay in touch for what is to come. La Guilde was just the beginning.

- Pascal