From C.Dump Magazine:

Here at C Dump Magazine we have had the opportunity over the course of a few years to work with many people in QA. This includes people who were clients and co-workers at both 3rd party testing companies and development companies. For our first interview on C Dump we had a chat with former co-worker and close friend Paul Loynd who now works at Microsoft with the Xbox LIVE Arcade Group.

Jack Rage: Can you describe your role in QA at the Xbox LIVE Arcade Group?

Paul Loynd: My official title is SDET/Test Lead but I perform more Associate Producer type tasks. I am in charge of driving titles all the way from Alpha to Release which entails coordinating tests, triaging bugs, giving game design feedback, processing milestone submissions (in addition to making a pass or fail calls), sometimes demoing titles at public venues like PAX, E3, CES in addition to the basic QA lead duties. My team handles all first party titles for Xbox LIVE Arcade so anything not published by EA, Capcom, Eidos, etc comes through our group. Think like Halo, Gears, Forza, but for Arcade titles.

[…]

After spending time as a tester on that team I was eventually promoted to a lead position. Later I did a bit of work outside the Arcade team on other projects and I started working with a group up in Montreal while I was in Redmond. Because of my experience so far they Montreal office wanted to steal me away up to Montreal for a while to help build out a test team for G4WL PC testing. I was only supposed to be in Montreal for a couple weeks. But I immediately fell in love with Montreal when I got there, and the Montreal office was very pleased with the work I was doing in addition to the business I was giving them the opportunity to bring there because of my experience. So I got an apartment and stayed and you know the majority of the Montreal part of the story from there.

Read the complete interview at C.Dump Magazine…

From a few months ago, but still worth mentioning.

VMC Game Labs, a video game testing and quality assurance firm, has announced that it will open up a development and testing center in Montreal. The new center will create approximately 165 new jobs for the city.

“We received a warm welcome and unfailing support from our local partners, and that played a big part in our decision," said Steve Fowler, head of product development for VMC Game Labs. “Investissement Quebec and Montreal International helped us at every key stage of our project. This support, together with the strategic advantages of Montreal, will help us reach our growth objectives in a highly competitive sector.”

Line Beauchamp, the Minister of Culture and Communications and Minister responsible for the Montreal region, pointed out that Quebec’s success in this video game development sector is largely attributable to a qualified and creative workforce, commenting: “There is incomparable talent in Quebec in every sphere of multimedia. The 3D special effects industry was born in Montreal and the city continues to dazzle the industry.”