Rabbit Hole Studios, a video game production company run by Holland College Video Game Art and Animation (VGAA) graduate Courtney Gaudet and her business partner Scott Humes, will launch its first game on New Year’s Eve.

Spirit of Adventure takes youngsters aged 5 and up along on the journey of an imaginative little girl named Lily as she treks through the forest of her imagination. She is accompanied by spirits that affect the world around her in unique ways. These spirits help her figure out puzzles so that she can continue on her way. Players race the clock to complete each level.

The game was initially developed when Gaudet, (22), and Humes (26), were part of the Innovation and Technology Association of Prince Edward Island IT Garage initiative, a video game and software development incubator for graduates of IT programs. Eight interns worked with a coordinator to gain experience developing either a video game or business software application. In this case, Gaudet and Humes saw the potential for the Spirit of Adventure game, and secured the rights for it.

The two have been working on the development of the game for nine months, and are looking forward to launching it.

“PEI is a great place to start a business, and has provided us with some pretty great opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else,” said Humes. “Starting Rabbit Hole Studios has been a challenging and gratifying experience.  I’ve learned a lot.”

Gaudet agreed.

“It’s been a challenging and rewarding experience, both working on Spirit of Adventure and growing Rabbit Hole Studios as a business,” she said. “The skills I gained in the Video Game Art and Animation course were a big help, especially with animation.”

“Courtney and Scott were a great inspiration to current students of the Video Game Art & Animation program when they visited the college to share their knowledge and show off their work. They have taken advantage of a great range of opportunities Prince Edward Island offers to anyone interested in learning about game development and launching a business,” Chris Sharpley, one of Courtney’s instructors in the VGAA program, said.

Spirit of Adventure will be available on the Google Play Store as a free to download game in the family category. If you would like to support Rabbit Hole Studios, there will also be purchasable items in the store. For more information about Rabbit Hole Studios, visit www.rabbitholestudios.ca.

In this picture: Rabbit Hole Studios owners Courtney Gaudet, left, and Scott Humes, put the final touches on the company’s first game, Spirit of Adventure.