Red Barrels Inc. is a Canadian
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a larg ...
based in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
. The company was founded by Philippe Morin, David Chateauneuf and Hugo Dallaire in 2011. The three were previously developers for
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., doing business as Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Montreal.
The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with s ...
and
EA Montreal
EA Montreal is a Canadian video game development studio owned and operated by Electronic Arts. The studio is based in Montreal, Quebec. It was inaugurated by EA on March 17, 2004.
The studio was founded by Alain Tascan a former Ubisoft and BAM ...
, but founded the company after the origination of an original
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
by Dallaire in 2010. After leaving their respective workplaces, the team's online presence began in July 2012 and a
trailer for the game that became ''
Outlast
''Outlast'' is a 2013 first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named M ...
''.
History
Philippe Morin, David Chateauneuf and Hugo Dallaire were originally
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a larg ...
s for
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Divertissements Inc., doing business as Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Montreal.
The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with s ...
and were hired in 1997–1998, with Chateauneuf working on ''
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a f ...
'', and Morin and Dallaire developing ''
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time''. Morin left Ubisoft Montreal in 2009 and worked for
EA Montreal
EA Montreal is a Canadian video game development studio owned and operated by Electronic Arts. The studio is based in Montreal, Quebec. It was inaugurated by EA on March 17, 2004.
The studio was founded by Alain Tascan a former Ubisoft and BAM ...
in 2010 for an original
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
concept by Dallaire, but was cancelled within the same year. With no other options, Morin left in January 2011 to pursue Red Barrels. Chateauneuf remained a part of Ubisoft Montreal and was involved with level design work for the first ''
Assassin's Creed
''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patric ...
'' game.
After resigning, Morin met Chateauneuf and Dallaire after the trio left their jobs, agreeing to start their own company. After a technical difficulty with a prior submission, the group acquired in funding from the
Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF, french: Fonds des médias du Canada - FMC) is a public-private partnership founded on April 1, 2010 by the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian cable industry. It is used to fund the creation of original ...
during the 2012–2013
fiscal year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ju ...
, and in the 2013–2014 year.
In October 2012, the company announced ''
Outlast
''Outlast'' is a 2013 first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels. The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named M ...
'', which was released in September 2013. The following October, Morin announced that a sequel, ''
Outlast 2'', was in development. ''Outlast 2'' was released in April 2017. In July that year, the company released the first issue of comic mini-series ''The Murkoff Account'', which was set for five comics detailing the narrative gap between ''Outlast'' and ''Outlast 2''. On December 4, 2019, the company announced a multiplayer game, ''
The Outlast Trials'' and released a teaser image.
Games developed
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://redbarrelsgames.com/
2011 establishments in Quebec
Canadian companies established in 2011
Companies based in Montreal
Indie video game developers
Video game companies established in 2011
Video game companies of Canada
Video game development companies
Video game publishers