Foundation 9 Entertainment has grown a second Backbone. The independent developer already had the original Backbone studio under its umbrella of studios, but today the company announced that it would be joined by the newly formed Backbone Charlottetown, currently in the process of setting up shop in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.

　　Foundation 9 was formed in March of last year when indie developers The Collective (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Mark Ecko's Getting Up) and Backbone Entertainment (Death Jr., Age of Empires: The Age of Kings for DS) joined forces. Since that time it has added five more brands to its roster: Pipeworks (Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, Godzilla: Save the Earth), ImaginEngine (World Poker Championship), Digital Eclipse (Midway Arcade Treasures), the production management company Circle of Confusion, and now Backbone Charlottetown.

　　"Foundation 9 continues to grow at a pace that outstrips the rest of the gaming industry," stated company copresident Andrew Ayre. "This latest studio not only gives us additional resources to make great games, it also brings a thriving company to a region of Canada keen for economic growth in the technology sector."

　　The studio is being set up with the help of techPEI, a government operation with the goal of encouraging technology and new media development in the province.

　　"Not only is there an abundance of untapped talent out there, but the government support makes our costs competitive with overseas solutions," said Jeff Vavasour, vice president of Canadian operations for Foundation 9. "We're gratified to be able to offer these employment opportunities domestically. It's a win-win."

　　Though there is no word on what its first project will be, Foundation 9 indicated that Backbone Charlottetown will be able to develop for all platforms, including next-generation consoles.