Okanagan Journal

Kelowna start-up Hyper Hippo is developing Mech Mice, a tactical game for kids.

The Okanagan is continuing to grow into a busy hub for video game development in B.C.

The leader of the local pack has for years been the massively multiplayer online game for kids, Club Penguin. Founded in Kelowna, the company was bought in 2007 by Disney for $350 million. It still operates out of Kelowna and has millions of users.

However, there are a growing number of small companies popping up in the region looking to match Club Penguin’s success.

Accelerate Okanagan, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of tech companies in the region, caught up with some of the emerging start-ups and posted about them here.

“Kelowna proves that not only can tech hubs emerge outside the metropolis, but world-class companies can thrive here. The growing tech, gaming and animation hub in Kelowna is helping to put the interior on the map,” said Accelerate Okanagan.

The new companies are working on projects for some of the industry big boys, including EA Games, Nickelodeon, Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks and Sony Pictures.

Keep an eye on Hyper Hippo. The company was founded by Lance Priebe, who co-founded and created of Club Penguin, and Pascale Audette, the former studio head and vice-president of global operations for Disney Online Studios. The studio is focused on developing children’s games.

This summer the studio is planning on launching the beta for Mech Mice. Just the title alone sounds cool. It’s a tactical game for kids who are 10 and up. The web browser version will hit the market first, followed by tablet versions.