Epicenter Studios opening new shop in Michigan

Epicenter Studios, the makers of Real Heroes: Firefighter for the Wii, are planning to open an office in Detroit , Michigan, according to a report in Michigan Job Search. The company currently holds court in Las Angeles (or more precisely, Sherman Oaks), California and plans to continue to do business there as well. The starting goal is to open a Detroit-area studio and hire 20 workers beginning next month.

Speaking to Michigan Job Search, CEO Nathaniel McClure pointed to Michigan’s refundable tax credits program for entertainment companies as a key factor in its decision to look in Detroit. In a perfect world where everything goes according to plan, McClure hopes that the new studio will employ anywhere from 50 to 90 game designers and developers in two years. He also said that “handshake deals” are in place to hire a handful of recent college graduates from the Detroit area.

“I need to be fully operational by January because we already have our first title to ship by next Christmas,” McClure told Michigan Job Search in a phone interview from downtown Detroit.

That new title is unknown as of this writing  though it has been pegged as an Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 game. Epicenter is also going to dabbling in a television show in preproduction and a couple of low-budget films — if it can find some partners.

Michigan Job Search also confirmed with Janet Lockwood, the director of the Michigan Film Office, that “McClure has spoken with staff there about obtaining an infrastructure tax credit to offset construction or remodeling costs.”

While it might all seem like wishful thinking or something, McClure must be fairly serious about opening a new studio because he has moved to nearby Farmington Hills from Los Angeles.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.