LocusX raises $3-million seed round to debug game code with AI

Montreal-based gaming technology startup LocusX has raised $3 million to fund its artificial intelligence (AI) debugging software for game developers.

LocusX is the brainchild of two gaming enthusiasts and two Montreal venture capital firms who co-led the round: Venture Builder Chart Ventures and Triptyq Capital, which focuses on entertainment and technology. Funding closed at the end of July.

CEO Francois Pelland told BetaKit that LocusX's “problem solving engine” can identify and suggest fixes for programming errors.

“The night before release, I saw game developers more worried about leaving bugs than the quality of the game.”

With an engine, LocusX aims to help speed up the development process, reduce manual work, and ultimately create higher quality games. The platform, which operates as a plugin for developers, uses large artificial intelligence language models to identify and suggest bug fixes. However, the program does not automatically correct errors, as Pelland believes the developers are “best suited” to make the final decision.

Over his career, Pelland said he has seen the typically labor-intensive job of quality assurance become increasingly difficult as games become more complex.

“Leading up to the game's release, I saw game developers worry more about leaving bugs than the quality of the game,” Pelland said.

CONNECTED: Is Canada a secret video game hub?

LocusX is currently focused on improving its “fix rate” through its product. But in the future, the company plans to improve the “detection speed” (identifying errors). The company plans to use the funds to improve the product and strengthen its five-person team.

The startup is a coalition of players from the gaming technology community in Montreal. LocusX CTO Jan Cote created virtual reality headset Vrvana together with Triptyq Capital partner Bertrand Nepve. The technology was eventually acquired by Apple and helped create the Vision Pro. LocusX CEO Francois Pelland has worked in the gaming sector for many years at Ubisoft, Entertainment Arts and Google.

Nepveu told BetaKit that LocusX was built on a venture studio model, with Diagram and Triptyq playing a role in the first collaboration from the start. Guillaume Therrien of Triptyq and Frédéric Latreille of Diagram are joining the startup's board.

While Triptyq focuses on entertainment technology and interactive media, Diagram's funds have historically focused on creating and launching startups in the FinTech, web3 and clean technologies.

Nepveu said there is “definitely a disruption going on in the gaming industry right now,” driven in part by artificial intelligence. This technology is used to create smart graphics, help construct stories, and even replace people in the voice acting of the characters.

In Canada, the gaming industry has faced some labor-related headwinds since the pandemic. According to a report from Entertainment Software Association of Canadathe industry faced a 3.5 percent decline in employment, mainly due to studio closures and “significant layoffs” at major companies. These included Edmonton-based BioWare and Montreal-based Behavior Interactive. Recent changes to multimedia tax credit In Quebec, which now covers a smaller portion of a worker's salary than before, employers' costs have also been reduced.

LocusX does not disclose the names of specific gaming studio clients. However, its product can benefit all types of companies, from high-budget major publishers (known as AAA studios) to indie developers. Pelland eventually plans to sell the bug-fixing engine outside of game development, targeting other creative programming mediums such as augmented reality and virtual reality projects.

For now, Pelland and Côté are locked into the gaming world. Pelland's current play selection: Revenge of the Savage Planet is a sci-fi adventure game developed by Montreal studio Raccoon Logic. As for Côté, he said he's riding a wave of nostalgia with Resident Evil 2 And Resident Evil 3.

Image provided Unsplash. Photo by Ella Dawn.