38 Studios today announced that their move from Massachusetts to Rhode Island is official. The entertainment company founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has signed a lease for an office building in downtown Providence’s six-story, 104,000-square-foot OneEmpirePlaza.
The new site of 38 Studios’ HQ is in the arts and entertainment district, a central location comprised of office buildings, restaurants and entertainment venues. It is also in close proximity to multiple universities rich with talent, such as the University of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University, Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
“The new location of 38 Studios will be a significant economic boost to downtown, the city and the state,” said The Providence Foundation’s executive director, Daniel Baudouin. “In addition to the high paying jobs and disposable income that 38 Studios will produce, their downtown location should result in the development of a strong, growing cluster of businesses in digital media and design, two potential targets of growth for downtown and the state.”
Recently, the state of Rhode Island approved a $75 million loan guarantee to the company and, in return, 38 Studios is promising to bring 450 jobs to Rhode Island by the end of 2012. The deal, however, was met with some opposition from politicians and game developers. Demiurge Studios CEO, Bill Reed, wrote a letter to Curt Schilling asking him to reconsider the move.
“As 38 Studios’ in-development MMO grows, you will soon realize that although the capital you have secured will fund your endeavors, the most vital and necessary component to completing your project is the vast pool of talent and resources you are leaving behind,” Reed writes. “A large number of game-focused graduates and brilliant thinkers come from our local colleges and universities, supplying the talent to meet our industry’s growing demand. Our businesses are truly fortunate to grow in such a thriving community.”
Meanwhile, some Rhode Island politicians – including gubernatorial candidates Lincoln Chafee, Ken Block and Frank Caprio – expressed their own concerns over the deal, with Block calling it a “silver bullet solution” to Rhode Island’s struggling economy.
38 Studios is currently working on a MMO codenamed Copernicus and a single player RPG called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
