U.K.-based game developer Frontier Developments opened up its first North American office in Halifax Wednesday, where it also showcased its upcoming game for iOS devices, Coaster Crazy.

“This marks a major milestone for Frontier Developments,” said David Braben (pictured centre), founder of Frontier Developments in a statement.

“Opening an office in North America is an important part of our strategy to establish a strong presence in key markets,” he added.

Frontier Developments develops games for consoles, smartphones, tablets and PCs.

Its previous titles include Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 with Atari, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and the Kinectimals series with Microsoft, and the self-published LostWinds series, which is playable on Nintendo Wii and iOS devices.

Frontier Developments COO David Walsh (pictured right) said in his own statement that the Halifax studio will create games for all gaming platforms.

So far, the company has created 20 jobs, and it says it is looking to add more programmers, game designers and senior artists to its roster.

For Stephen Lund (pictured left), president and CEO, Nova Scotia Business Inc., Frontier’s opening only highlights the importance of Nova Scotia’s digital and gaming industries.

“We have seen incredible growth since we identified the game development sector as an opportunity for Nova Scotia in 2007,” he said in a statement.

“Focusing on this industry and attracting new business while growing our local companies is crucial if we want to continue building a vibrant knowledge-based economy,” he added.