By Variety | Created at 2025-01-15 13:51:31 | Updated at 2025-01-18 23:52:46
3 days ago
Spain’s Canary Islands video game industry got a major shot in the arm this week as local developer Quantum Box Games, a studio based in Gran Canaria, secured a significant Japanese investment.
The deal, worth 300 million yen (approximately $1.9 million), was forged with Route24, a Japanese game development company led by industry veterans who have worked on some of gaming’s biggest franchises, such as “Final Fantasy,” “Chrono Trigger” and “Super Mario RPG.”
Route24 boss Kenichi Nishi, a former Square Enix developer, is teaming up with Keita Eto, another Square Enix veteran, and Quantum Box Games to develop a new JRPG titled “Kiriko the Mystic.”
The partnership marks a significant milestone for the islands’ local gaming ecosystem as it will see home-grown artistic talent collaborate with some of Japan’s most renowned video game creators.
Quantum Box Games and Route24 initiated the new partnership after a meeting at the Tokyo Game Show in September, an event that Quantum Box attended as part of a mission led by Proexca, a Canary government-backed initiative aimed at promoting international business ties and attracting investment to the Canary Islands. The partnership is centered around creating a new intellectual property co-owned by both the Canary company and its Japanese counterpart, the first such collaboration between the two regions.
Quantum Box Games CEO Amina Abdien sees the new alliance as a significant opportunity for her company and the growth of the Canary Islands’ video game sector. “Obviously, we are not a video gaming world power like Japan, but the foundations are being laid thanks to the efforts of current administrators. It is only a matter of time before we take off,” she said in a release.
The CEO also explained that Quantum Box Games will soon begin a round of financing to establish its long-term project in the islands and applauded the opportunity that Proexca and the Canary Islands Special Zone are providing the company to attend top-level events which they would not otherwise be able to participate in.
Other thriving Canary-based companies that have similarly benefited from Proexca and Canary Island Special Zone support include The Game Kitchen, Rising Pixels, No Brakes Games, and Drakhar Games, which are increasing their regional footprints. Additionally, academic institutions such as the César Manrique and Felo Monzón vocational schools and universities like La Laguna and the University of the Middle Atlantic are nurturing new talent for the sector.
The Canary Islands are now home to over 20 gaming companies, creating more than 200 jobs and positioning the region as one of the fastest-growing gaming hubs in Spain and Europe. With attractive tax incentives and cutting-edge infrastructure, the Canaries are poised to become a key player in the global video game industry.
