Local Game Makers Gain Steam

There’s more to Windsor’s “gaming” sector than Caesars. 

An independent, self-sustaining computer game studio, iDream Interactive develops original software enjoyed by millions of users around the world. While iDream established itself as a social and mobile game developer, its newest product represents an exciting debut into traditional PC gaming. 

The Drive spoke with Chief Executive Officer Jacob Duhaime and Chief Operating Officer John Charette to catch up on the exciting local developer. 

Surprisingly, Duhaime and Charette both hail from North Bay, Ontario. While the two were high school acquaintances, their working relationship sparked in Essex County after—remarkably—both enrolled in St. Clair College’s awkwardly named “Tradigital” animation program. Duhaime and Charette struck up a quick friendship and “toyed with the idea of starting a company,” according to the former, but ultimately went their separate ways after graduation before reuniting years later.  

Founded in June 2006, iDream Interactive’s first client was the Ontario Ministry of Education. Duhaime, who studied Computer Science and Visual Arts at the University of Windsor after leaving St. Clair, used Adobe Flash—a now-defunct, web animation standard—to develop hundreds of differentiated learning modules and mini games for K-12 students.  

Duhaime transitioned to publishing entertainment products for social media around 2010. Remember Farmville? A wildly popular free-to-play timewaster that lived within Facebook, it debuted in 2009. iDream’s Monster Farm, also published to Facebook, was a thematically distinct take on that familiar concept. 

“It was a huge failure,” says a deadpan Duhaime. “We put $125,000 into it, but it quickly fizzled out. However, one of the big bonuses of the experiences is it got us noticed by industry veterans.” 

Specifically, Monster Farm garnered iDream a visit to Zynga, the creator of Farmville, in San Francisco. Duhaime returned home with an acquisition offer but ultimately turned it down to double down on his company’s independent ambitions.  

Eventually, iDream hit the jackpot with a game called Slot Universe, which eventually attracted 100,000 players a day and over 4 million total users. On the back of that game, iDream “went from the basement of my home into becoming an actual development company,” says Duhaime. 

To date, the 12-person outfit has published 15 titles, notably including 2015’s Recipe Rescue. The company has also developed projects with corporate clients like the online gambling giant PokerStars (beginning in 2018) and Churchill Downs, the Louisiana horseracing complex that famously hosts the Kentucky Derby. 

Charette reconnected with Duhaime in 2020 and he joined iDream, “once the company started to blow up,” recalls Duhaime. 

“Jacob has a much stronger artistic background than I do, but I have a computer background,” says Charette now. “We did and still do have this blended vibe. We work very well together.” 

The studio is currently promoting the, “roguelike deck-building game” (ask a gamer in your life) Runeborn, its first wholly original product in years.  

The game is best understood through watching YouTube playthroughs, but, in short, it involves spinning slot-like columns to generate magical “runes,” then matching them strategically to cast spells that damage to opponents. Every “run” or play session is randomized, promising a unique gaming experience.  

iDream were inspired by the runaway success of Balatro, a poker-based strategy game. “When that came out in February of last year, Jacob soon realized we could do something similar,” recalls Charette. “Instead of using poker, we could use our experience to do something with a slot-machine mechanic.” 

Importantly, iDream decided to move away from a casino aesthetic (“there’s a bit of ickiness around it,” in Charette’s words) in the direction of an attractive “dark fantasy” theme. 

Currently available as a playable demo on Steam, the world’s premier online store and distribution platform for computer games, Runeborn will drop as a reduced-price “Early Access” product early this summer. The eventual full version will cost about $20 USD as a single, up-front purchase.  

“It’s similar to Balatro, but it has its own vibe, its own feel,” says Charette. “People are digging it. We’ve seen a surge and we’re receiving a lot of great feedback we’re planning on integrating over the next three months.” 

Importantly for our purposes, all that integration will happen right here in Windsor. 

As you might expect, developing gaming products for a competitive global marketplace from Essex County has both challenges and benefits. “Our business is unique; there’s not a lot of community here to support each other,” notes Duhaime, who’s been slowly trying to do his part through initiatives like the WEtech ScaleUP program. “But it’s possible to grow a gaming company. It’s beneficial in the sense you get recognized easier when you’re the only one.”