A Quebec distributor of bilingual software has added German-based publisher of PC games to the roster of titles it brings to some 1,000 Canadian retailers.
Distribusoft said it has signed Frogster Interactive Pictures AG of Frankfurt, which publishes and licences games such as Championship Sheep Rally, B.O.S. (Bet on Soldier) and Break In 60.
Sebastien Ouellet, president of LaSalle-based Distribusoft, said he came across Frogster at the 2006 Los Angeles E3 Electronic Expo.
“We were very interested in the quality of their software,” he said.
Among the games that caught his eye is Championship Sheep Rally, a game for kids in which they race sheep across pastures and mountains for points, which can be used to alter the characteristics of the animals.
An explanation of the game on Distribusoft’s Web site says a player can ‘trample on your opponents with daredevil leaping manoeuvres or run them to the ground with way-out weapons.’
“It’s different,” said Ouellet, it’s funny. That’s why we decided to do business with them. It’s a serious company and they have a large market in Germany.”
“I’m sure they will have a lot of success” here, he said.
Distribusoft opened its doors in 2003 by publishing a French-language trip planning software called Quebec A La Carte for Windows. A year later the company decided to distribute the title itself and then added other software, mostly from France.
But six months ago he decided to broaden the company’s strategy and move into bilingual software, not only including games but also reference, translation, Web design and educational titles.
Ouellet is also trying to diversify from entertainment and into other areas, which is why he has added tax software for Quebec and antivirus software from Kaspersky Lab.
“Our retailers asked us to supply them a wide range of product,” Ouellet said of the Kaspersky addition. “Kaspersky is the best antivirus on the market.”
“We try to have product in all categories,” he said.
Most of the company’s retailers are in Quebec, but they also include major national outlets such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Staples, Costco and Toys R Us.
Ouellet refused to disclose the annual revenues of the company, which has seven employees.
But he did say he plans to expand the number of titles he carries.
Other publishers in Distribusoft’s catalogue include Akita Multimedia, Anuman Interactive, Auran, B2B Games, Brighter Minds, Cenega Publishing, Hachette Multimedia, Jeriko and Motion Plus Media.
While the company isn’t well-known among distributors, Ouellet emphasized the company puts a lot of effort in advertising and marketing its titles to help retail sales.
