The doors of Saudi Arabia are opening wide for a Quebec company that is among the most influential in the world in the interactive digital attractions market.
Triotech has just signed a $20 million deal to develop three rides with Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a subsidiary of the public investment fund for the development of the entertainment sector in the Kingdom.
“We will take people into the world of Transformers with a multi-sensory experience. There will be scenery, lighting, smoke, wind and motion effects on the seats. It is one of the most ambitious attractions we will build,” said Ernest Yale, President of Triotech.
The company designs all of its games in Montreal and manufactures them at its Joliette facility. 98 percent of its business is conducted outside of Canada in about 80 countries. The deal with Saudi Arabia is the largest in the history of Triotech, which was founded in 1999.
“In the Middle East, it works through relationships. We’ve been doing this for more than ten years. First it went through Dubai, where we started selling small machines, then simulators for $25,000 and then products for $400,000, then it went to Saudi Arabia,” explains Ernest Yale. who travels six months a year to grow her business and visits amusement parks in search of inspiration.
Joel Lemay / QMI Agency
Ernest Yale, founder of Triotech, brings video games to amusement parks around the world and exports 98% of its products.
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Saudi Arabia is investing billions of dollars in developing its tourism industry and now that Triotech has become a recognized supplier, new opportunities are emerging. Another $10M deal is set to be announced shortly and SEVEN has already expressed interest in adding Triotech Dark Rides to Ryiad after the first three.
“Our impact is to have brought video games to amusement parks,” said Ernest Yale, a game enthusiast who started programming as a teenager.
The most spectacular ride designed by Triotech to date is Ninjago, which can be found in a dozen Legoland parks around the world. Customers enter the game with a little train and fight with their hands against characters from this universe.
Triotech exported its products out of necessity as the number of indoor amusement parks in Canada is limited. In Quebec, the Zoo de Granby and the Mega-Parc des Galeries de la Capitale offer corporate games to their customers. In addition to the Middle East, Southeast Asia is developing into an important market alongside Europe and the United States.
The deal with Saudi Arabia allows for the consolidation of 200 jobs at Triotech, which also provides for future hiring after a particularly difficult pandemic. The attraction area was completely closed for several months due to health restrictions. The company was able to survive because its shareholders invested personal money and also thanks to government help. Now that the industry is on the rise again, challenges remain as the contracts signed before the pandemic must be honored as they are, even as the cost of metal, computers and screens has skyrocketed by 30-40%.