Silicon Knights receives Canadian gov. grant to hire 80, self-publish

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jul 15th 2011 9:15AM

The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade announced yesterday that it gave Too Human and Eternal Darkness developer Silicon Knights "support" that will help the company become a "self-sustainable, self-publishing" company. According to the St. Catharine Standard, the developer received nearly $3 million in provincial funding. The money is also intended to create 80 new jobs and protect 97 existing positions.

"This will enhance our competitive edge within the highly-competitive video game market ... and allow us to enter lucrative global markets," Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack said in a statement. Dyack had hinted toward Silicon Knight's self-publishing future in an interview with Joystiq in May.

The latest batch of cash will be added to the $4 million the company received from the government last year. Silicon Knights is currently working on X-Men Destiny.

Via: Gamasutra
Source: The Standard, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade

Tags: Canada, denis-dyack, Ontario, silicon-knights

Reader Comments (45)

Ugh! Now I have to subsidize these losers with my tax dollars? Argh!

@koehler83

Unbelievable. Money could be better spent elsewhere.

@koehler83

Isn't this the second time silicon knights has gotten a bail out from the canadian government since Too Human?

@koehler83

It's not all bad. When Dyack inevitably craps the bed, we Canadians actually have the right to hold his ass accountable instead of suffering his endless excuses about how it's everyone's fault but his. I believe Busta Rhymes had some sage wisdom on the subject matter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFlQR6fUDtU

2 Human 2 Æsirious please.

@Epoque
You wouldn't want ETERNAL DARKNESS: PART II? Alexandra Roivas takes her fellow chronological comrades to Bangkok for hung-over thrills and Lovecraftian-frights in one of Asian's most "colourful" cities. It's the sequel no one asked for but Hollywood deemed we needed!

Of course I want Eternal Darkess part Deux, easily my favourite survival horror adventure ever. Why would you assume I didn't?

This article is about Silicon Knights gaining the ability to self-publish. If they made Eternal Darkness 2, it would be in cooperation with Nintendo seeing as Nintendo holds the IP. Too Human, on the other hand, is entirely in their control. That, and I wouldn't doubt there being a lack of interest from MS, or any third party publisher, in publishing the continuation of Too Human ... so it's very likely that if it does continue, given SK's capacity to self-publish, it would be self-published.

@Epoque
I was just mocking HANGOVER II, but yeah -- a new ETERNAL DARKNESS on Wii/U or 3DS would be fan'frackin'tastic. :]

Let the bashing begin....

80 jobs eh? I only see 8 on their website.

@hami83
Seems somebody is pocketing the rest of the Cash

Nice ride. I imagine that will be pretty helpful, but it's rather odd seeing that their goverment has so much trust in this studio. But nevermind, they deserve more chances to shine, and I'm pretty sure this has less to do with their games than it does with taxes and...shady stuff like that.

Yeah, well, it probably won't help them make a game that doesn't suck...

@mietha

Is this an insanity effect or am I seeing somebody who's saying that Eternal Darkness sucked? D:

@Mama Luigi

They also did Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain...which I LOVED!

And one of the finest remakes ever, MGS: Twin Snakes.

Please, please, Eternal Darkness 2 for Wii U. pllleeeeasee.

@The Cole Train
Add a remake and a multi-console release for that, and you have yourself a deal.

/FUND IT

@The Cole Train

Why would you limit it to a single console?

@mrmojoz Nintendo controls the Eternal Darkness IP, Dyack has said this countless times. If you don't want it on a single console, the only other possibilities are Wii, NDS, or 3DS, in addition to Wii U.

I thought Canada already had a successful community of game development studios. What makes Silicon Knights special?

Its also weird hearing about direct government funding rather than tax breaks. Over here in USA we hear tax breaks and subsidies all the time, but rarely have I heard a business being directly funded.

@Lerkero
I guess we can afford to give out cash, Our economy is doing extremely well (compared to everyone else).

Best scammers in the business. I expect Xmen to come out in 5 or 6 years once they get 10 or 20 million dollars or so out of Canada.

They are one of the few companies not able to make an average game on a budget of anything less than $30 million.

My heart usually isn't full of hate, but I really dont appreciate companies like Silicon Knights. Everyone who works for them should be embarrassed and ashamed.

Awesome. Hope this means Too Human 2 is coming. And I for one am happy that a tiny portion of my tax dollars will be going to Silicon Knights.

There should have been some sort of trade involved in this. They get 80 new jobs...if they make a new Eternal Darkness.

@Yuglyoshi
I wouldn't mind it coming out. It'd be a strong hit for the WiiU. You know, since Nintendo owns the IP.

Great... just when I thought these guys died off and drowned beneath the sludge of gaming that was Too Human... Canada just HAS to throw them not just a lifeline, but a god-dang new boat to wreck!

well good for them now they must work 10-times harder and deliver.

Lot of unwarranted Silicon Knights hate. Man, "hardcore" gamers are a ravenous bunch of weirdos.

@TwEE

Unwarranted? hardly... name one game on a current gen console they made that wasnt garbage? Too Human? a game that roughly took 11 years to finally be released? what else? why would anyone give this company more credit than they deserve for basically doing nothing.

If you can sit there and honestly say that X-Men Destiny looks like the best game ever being developed i'd say this is a sad little universe you live in.

@TwEE

Wait..wha..huh? I cant tell if you're sincere hate filled weirdo or you're a very clever troll.

But either way you kind of proved my point.. so um.. TEAM WORK, YAY!!

@TwEE
I don't fully understand the hate, as I've not played anything of their's past GCN. If their next title is Multiplat I'd forsure pick it up.

I liked Eternal Darkness.

I liked Too Human.

Did you folks notice that it looks like X-Men: Destiny was pushed to 2012? Silicon Knights being Silicon Knights, I guess.

Yet another reason Government can't be giving tax dollars to anything but defense & national infrastructure...

@Mode7James

They are doing this because they believe its beneficial to the province in the long run, and it probably is.

And $3 million for Silicon Knights is nothing compared to the $263 million they gave Ubisoft.

Eternal Darkness HD or sequel please.

They should use that money to remake Fantasy Empires!!!

Why does no-one talk about DOS games anymore?

@Draco

Because the people who would comment are probably too busy playing with their grand children... ZING!

@TwEE
Weird comment given your avatar.

Screw you guys, that's actually very cool. While I agree that they've screwed up with Too Human (I couldn't even play the whole demo), they also have done pretty cool games before it. It's not every day that a game comes along and makes me play it three times in a row just to see mildly different endings.

Are you guys moaning about your "tax dollars" canadians? Never took you for the type.

should be working on Eternal Darkness 2 and the last 2 Too Human games not X-men damnit

Evidently no one in the decision process ever MET that douche.

I look forward to the day SK finally slips beneath the waves and he has to learn how a REAL development company is run.

@(Unverified)

Had a lot of business dealings with the man I see. Or do you know him socially?

Finally - TOO HUMAN 2

Silicon Knights receives Canadian gov. grant to hire 80, self-publish

Reader Comments (45)

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:20AM koehler83 said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:04AM Tuxy79 said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:26PM SirUrza said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:50PM freaparn said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:21AM Epoque said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:48AM foxhound said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:57AM Epoque said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:07AM foxhound said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:23AM killploki said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:27AM hami83 said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 1:03PM Super Nintendo Chalmers said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:27AM Shadowbender said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:30AM mietha said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:42AM Mama Luigi said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:56AM blessrok said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:59AM Epoque said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:31AM The Cole Train said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:49AM foxhound said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:53AM mrmojoz said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:00AM Epoque said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 9:58AM Lerkero said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 1:56PM killer rin said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:29AM Fire Walk With Me said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:30AM MatthewMk2 said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:38AM Yuglyoshi said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:55PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:58AM DevilSei said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 11:16AM DokiDokiBawanga said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:06PM TwEE said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 5:21PM KiraXD said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 7:19PM TwEE said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 10:56PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:07PM KungFuChaosNinja said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:08PM Mode7James said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:30PM TwEE said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:14PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:18PM Draco said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:35PM TwEE said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:45PM TheShaper said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:40PM TheShaper said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:46PM TheShaper said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 1:07PM MasterBrief said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 5:05PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 15th 2011 7:21PM TwEE said

Posted: Jul 17th 2011 12:01AM emirabal said

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