The government of Quebec feels that Quebec is uniquely positioned as the crossroads between North America and Europe. Quebec is the birthplace of software pioneers like Discreet Logic and Softimage - both of which are now part of the Autodesk portfolio. With this pioneering spirit in mind, the gaming industry has grown 600% in Quebec since 2003. This did not happen by accident. The Quebec government is actively working to create a gaming Mecca by appealing to a creative workforce and nurturing low operating costs through generous government support.

The briefing was right outside the Staples Center while the Lakers played the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Although I am not attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo, on Tuesday night I attended a briefing where Warner Brothers Interactive and THQ announced plans to open gaming development centers in Quebec. These facilities will ramp up to 400 employees each with ultimate goals of employing 600. My host, Laurent Huot, was beaming from ear to ear. I met Laurent when I gave him a guided tour of the Autodesk Gallery at One Market. I was honored to attend this event and share in his excitement.

THQ makes its announcement.

Warner Brothers Interactive makes its announcement.

I was thrilled to see Autodesk software figure so prominently is a city's overall planning.