Turbulent
Turbulent is a Montreal-based digital agency and product company that builds custom web platforms, AI-enabled consumer features, and immersive VR experiences for enterprise clients in media, gaming, and education, including Cloud Imperium Games, Ubisoft, and RICARDO Media.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Turbulent does
Turbulent (Turbulent Media Inc.) is a Montreal-headquartered digital agency and product company founded in 2002, operating as a subsidiary of Cloud Imperium Games with 190+ employees. It designs and builds custom web platforms, interactive digital ecosystems, AI-enabled consumer features, and immersive VR experiences for clients in media/publishing, gaming, and education. Core proprietary products include PleaseFix, a player-driven bug-reporting and prioritization platform licensed to AAA game studios (Cloud Imperium Games' Star Citizen and Ubisoft's Rainbow 6: Siege); the RICARDO Cuisine platform (ricardocuisine.com, 5.4 million monthly visitors) with the AI-powered My RICARDO+ subscription tier; the myCECZone educational content distribution platform built for Les Éditions CEC (a Quebecor subsidiary); and Turbu Lab, an experimental R&D unit producing award-recognized VR work. Technical differentiators include a machine-learning duplicate-issue engine on PleaseFix, custom interactive content authoring tools (scenario, timeline, map, karaoke editors), and bilingual English/French delivery from a single Montreal creative hub.
Turbulent firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Turbulent
- Legal name
- Turbulent Media Inc.
- Website
- https://turbulent.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Turbulent is a Montreal-based digital agency and product company that builds custom web platforms, AI-enabled consumer features, and immersive VR experiences for enterprise clients in media, gaming, and education, including Cloud Imperium Games, Ubisoft, and RICARDO Media.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Turbulent industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Product Development Services
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Gaming & Virtual World Communities (BPAMABAE)
Keywords
Where Turbulent is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Turbulent business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Professional Services / Project-based: Custom web development and digital product creation services. Clients complete project inquiry forms with budgets ranging from $25k to $385k+, indicating enterprise-level engagements. Services include strategy, design, technology development, and ongoing ecosystem support.
- Product Licensing - PleaseFix: Bug reporting platform licensed to gaming companies. PleaseFix is used by Cloud Imperium Games (Star Citizen) and Ubisoft (Rainbow 6: Siege), generating revenue through platform licensing agreements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based custom pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Turbulent product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Turbulent is a Montreal-based web development agency that designs, builds, and operates custom digital products and platforms for enterprise clients in media, gaming, and education. The company combines strategy, design, and technology to deliver audience-igniting web ecosystems, and also licenses its proprietary products such as the PleaseFix bug-reporting platform to gaming companies.
Product overview
Turbulent is a Montreal-based web development agency that creates audience-igniting products fuelling digital ecosystems. The company operates as part of Cloud Imperium Games and employs over 190 people. Turbulent's portfolio includes: myCECZone, an educational content distribution platform for Les Éditions CEC; RICARDO (ricardocuisine.com), Quebec's culinary reference website with the AI-powered My RICARDO+ subscription service; PleaseFix, the world's first player-driven bug reporting platform; and Turbu Lab, their experimental R&D division for VR experiences. The company follows a co-creation process combining strategy, artistry, and custom technology to deliver improbable impact for clients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Web Development Services End-to-end custom digital product and web platform development for enterprise clients, covering strategy, design, technology development, and ongoing ecosystem support. Project budgets typically range from $25k to $385k+.
- PleaseFix Player-driven bug reporting and prioritization platform for gaming companies, using machine learning to reduce duplicate issues and enabling dialogue between player communities and development teams. Licensed to AAA studios.
- myCECZone Educational content distribution platform built for Les Éditions CEC, providing intuitive digital experiences between teachers and students through content management, interactive exercises, and class management features.
- RICARDO (ricardocuisine.com) Quebec's leading French-language culinary website featuring over 7,000 recipes, free meal planning tools (My RICARDO), and the AI-powered My RICARDO+ premium subscription tier with personalized recommendations.
- Turbu Lab VR Experiences Experimental VR storytelling and immersive experiences produced by Turbulent's R&D lab, including award-winning projects like The Coast (musical VR) and The Unknown Photographer (WWI documentary) for entertainment brands and cultural institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4x faster issue resolution for Star Citizen
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Turbulent
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Turbulent technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Turbulent partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Cloud Imperium GamescoreCloud Imperium Games is the parent company of Turbulent. Turbulent develops PleaseFix bug reporting platform for Star Citizen, enabling 4x faster issue resolution. Turbulent is described as 'A Cloud Imperium company' on their website.
- Moov AIcoreMoov AI partnered with Turbulent to develop AI for RICARDO's My RICARDO+ platform. This collaboration integrated artificial intelligence into the culinary platform, contributing to its OCTAS 2023 Innovation award win.
- RICARDO MediacoreTurbulent has worked with RICARDO for over 21 years developing the ricardocuisine.com platform with 5.4M monthly visitors. They integrated AI, created engaging user experience, and implemented monetization strategies.
- Les Éditions CEC (Quebecor)coreTurbulent has partnered with Les Éditions CEC for over 11 years, creating the myCECZone educational platform. They developed interactive content tools, class management systems, and content distribution platforms serving thousands of students and teachers.
- UbisoftcoreUbisoft uses PleaseFix platform for Rainbow 6: Siege, enabling player-driven bug reporting and community engagement for this major AAA title.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Turbulent competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ustwo: Global digital product studio that designs and builds apps, platforms, and immersive experiences for media, finance, and health clients. Comparable in custom product studio model, multi-vertical expertise, and emphasis on strategy plus technology delivery.
- Instrument: Portland-based independent digital creative and product agency serving major consumer and media brands with custom digital platforms. Comparable to Turbulent in combining brand strategy, design, and engineering for enterprise clients.
- Sid Lee: Montreal-based creative and technology agency that designs and builds digital products, platforms, and brand experiences for major media, entertainment, and consumer clients. Highly comparable to Turbulent in geography, scale, and integrated tech + creative + strategy delivery model.
- Jam3: Toronto-based digital experience studio producing interactive campaigns, platforms, and immersive work for global brands. Closely comparable to Turbulent's custom platform and immersive experience offerings, especially for media and entertainment clients.
- Active Theory: Los Angeles-based studio building immersive web, VR, and real-time 3D experiences for entertainment and brand clients. Closely comparable to Turbulent's Turbu Lab VR work and custom experiential platform builds.
- North Kingdom: Swedish digital experience agency recognized for award-winning interactive work, immersive storytelling, and custom platform development. Comparable to Turbulent on the immersive/VR side and on large-scale digital ecosystem delivery.
- Resn: New Zealand-based digital creative studio known for experimental interactive websites and immersive experiences for global brands. Comparable to Turbulent's experimental, design-led approach to audience-engaging digital products.
- Fantasy (Fantasy Interactive): Global interactive experience agency that designs and develops award-winning digital products and platforms for brands. Directly comparable to Turbulent's 'tech, artistry, and strategy' value proposition and large-scale custom platform delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Unity Technologies: Real-time 3D platform powering games, VR/AR, and immersive experiences globally. Comparable to Turbulent's PleaseFix gaming tooling and Turbu Lab VR builds, though at infrastructure scale rather than as a custom agency.
- Huge: Large global digital agency offering strategy, design, marketing, and technology across consumer-facing platforms. Comparable to Turbulent's custom digital platform work but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Turbulent social profiles
Digital presenceTurbulent financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Turbulent leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Turbulent funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Turbulent M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Turbulent
What does Turbulent do?
Turbulent is a Montreal-based web development agency that designs, builds, and operates custom digital products and platforms for enterprise clients in media, gaming, and education. The company combines strategy, design, and technology to deliver audience-igniting web ecosystems, and also licenses its proprietary products such as the PleaseFix bug-reporting platform to gaming companies.
Is Turbulent a public or private company?
Turbulent is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Turbulent founded?
Turbulent was founded in 2002. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Turbulent based?
Turbulent is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Turbulent make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Professional Services / Project-based is the primary driver. The others are product Licensing - PleaseFix.
Who are Turbulent's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ustwo, Instrument, Sid Lee, Jam3, Active Theory, North Kingdom, Resn and Fantasy (Fantasy Interactive). Broad incumbents are Unity Technologies and Huge.
Does Turbulent have an API?
No public API is recorded for Turbulent.
What industry is Turbulent in?
Turbulent's product category is Digital Product Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAH, Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise), with a secondary code of BPAMABAE, Gaming & Virtual World Communities. Its NAICS code is 541519 and its SIC code is 7373.