Montreal International Game Summit 2009

The Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS) serves members of the video and electronic gaming industries.

Geared to industry needs, the MIGS aims to be the annual event for game development specialists from all over the world.

More than 1500 members of the game industry are expected for this Sixth Edition.

High Level Content
Leading-edge presentations MIGS presents specialized conferences hosted by world-renowned experts in programming, visual arts, game design, audio design, production and business, and Serious Games.

The summit is a specialized event offering an environment conducive to learning, networking and discussion.

Program
- Some 80 courses, seminars, conferences and workshops over a two-day period Big names from the local and international scenes
- Numerous additional activities including a VIP gala, cocktail parties, specialized meetings and more
- Some 30 firms presenting their wares
- A separate Business Lounge

Overview
- First Edition: 2004
- Organized by Alliance numérique
- More than 1500 attendees in 2008
- More than 100 speakers
- Where?: in Montreal
- Duration: Two days
- When?: November 16-17. 2009

Montreal International Game Summit

CanDevs

Vortex 2009 Game Design Competition

TORONTO, ONTARIO – September 18, 2009.   The McLuhan Festival of the Future announces today the official launch of The Vortex Competition which will take place on November 4th & 5th, 2009.

The Vortex Competition, now in its 5th year, is Canada’s pre-eminent forum that celebrates, educates, and casts a spotlight on emerging video game entrepreneurs and companies. Within the Vortex Competition, aspiring video game developers obtain the opportunity to hone their business and technical skills through educational sessions, presented by world renowned game industry leaders, in the areas of game design, development, business, finance, and marketing.

Competitors in this year’s Vortex Competition are invited to submit concepts or prototypes.  All submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by an expert panel and a winner will be selected from each category and announced on November 5th, 2009, at the Vortex Competition Awards Gala.   In addition to cash prizes for the winner, they will also receive the opportunity to have their video game commercialized through a variety of channels.

Vortex Managing Director, Sari Ruda points out, “The Vortex Game Competition was established in 2004 in response to the enormous interest and phenomenal growth of the videogame industry in Canada and abroad. Dubbed the “feeder to the Ontario Videogame Industry”, the Vortex Competition has grown each year and attracted the highest caliber of talent in all areas: speakers, judges, competitors. We are thrilled that as a result of Vortex, our mentoring opportunities, networking and access to publishers, every year winners and other competitors have gone on to launch their games and climb the ladder of success.”

Vortex 2009 Finals Judges:

• Blake Lewin – Senior VP, R&D, Turner Broadcasting and Founder of GameTap
• Kevin O’Leary – Renowned Software Entrepreneur, star of Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank
• Yannis Mallat – President and CEO, Ubisoft Canada
• Marc Saltzman – Internally acclaimed Hi-Tech and Game columnist, and TV personality

“It is clear that Vortex’s primary mission to support emerging entrepreneurs and companies in the videogame industry will strengthen Toronto’s position in the competitive global market”, says Rita Davies, Executive Director, Cultural Services, City of Toronto.

An important component of the Vortex Competition is the Vortex Bootcamp, which will be held on October 7th and 8th. The Bootcamp features exceptional networking opportunities with the industry’s best and sessions include Business 101: IP, Legal, Marketing, Finance; Game Industry Overview: Game Industry Eco System, Big Players, Platforms, Publishers and Distributors; Entrepreneurism and How to Pitch. New for 2009 is a Finance Forum featuring presentations and panels of Venture Capital Professionals, Financiers and Government funding bodies related to the financing of videogame products.  Also new are breakout sessions concentrating on a choice of Game Design or Game Production. The Game Design stream includes: High Concept, USP, Platforms, and Software in Design. The Game Production stream offers: Process, Planning, Workflow, and Capacity Requirements for Production.  The highlight of this year’s Boot Camp Sessions is Key Note speaker, Peter Williams, Chief Strategic Officer of Bamboo Networks, based in New York, Tokyo, China and Thailand.

To commemorate the City of Toronto’s 175th Anniversary, Vortex, in conjunction with our generous sponsor, The City of Toronto, is proud to offer all competitors the opportunity to enter their game in a 175th City of Toronto Birthday Videogame. The winner’s game will be accessible via the City of Toronto’s website which will garner the winner international exposure.

The Vortex 2009 Competition is very excited to announce the involvement of some of the most successful global game publishers, industry leaders, jurists, speakers and mentors who include Ubisoft, Bedlam Games, Transgaming Technologies, Capybara, Yahoo!, Bell, Cerebral Vortex Games, High Road Communications, Miller Thompson, CMF-Telefilm, Frozen North, RBC, Province of Ontario, City of Toronto, Emerson College, Bamboo Networks and many more.

Important Vortex Dates:

Deadline for Boot Camp Registration	Oct 5
Boot Camp & Networking Reception	Oct 7-8
Deadline for Competition Submissions	Oct 23
Announcement of Contenders	Oct 29
Competition & Awards Gala	Nov 4-5

Vortex acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors: Telefilm Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation, City of Toronto, Bradon Technologies Limited, Canadian Information Processing Society, Digital Sugar, ANM & Associates Ltd., EM & ME Productions and Parties Without Borders.

www.vortexcompetition.com

CanDevs

Working on some upgrades to CanDevs.ca

I’ve finally decided to migrate the CanDevs blog from candevs.wordpress.com to being self-hosted. Currently, blogs are fed through Feedburner (from candevs.wordpress.com) into the main window of the CanDevs.ca site. While this serves the basic purpose of getting information out to visitors, CanDevs is essentially split into two sites. The main draw of CanDevs.ca is the listing of games companies; while the blog helps deliver related information. So rather than sending visitors to two separate web sites, I think it’s better if both the blog and listing were contained in one space.

I’ve upgraded the CanDevs.ca hosting to allow MySQL and PHP, and have installed the WordPress application. However, I still need to customize the look of the WordPress theme I want to use in order for it to look almost exactly like the main CanDevs page looks now. This will take me a few weeks as I need to familiarize myself with the new coding (PHP mostly from what I gather). Once this is all done, I will delete the candevs.wordpress.com blog after I have exported/imported all past blog entries into the self-hosted site. And on a side note, it’s possible that if you get RSS feeds from CanDevs, you might need to re-subscribe once the move is made.

 I still have many game companies to add so once the infrastructure change has been made, I hope to get back to regular updates.

CanDevs

Rock Band Video Game Jam Session

This Saturday August 22nd there will be a karaoke-style event called the Rock Band Video Game Jam Session in Toronto. It will be held at The Ferret & Firkin pub located at 720 Spadina Avenue.

Playing the game Rock Band on the Xbox360, attendees take turns on stage playing any musical position (guitar, drums, vocals). All are welcome to this monthly event. There is no cover, and all equipment is provided.

For more details visit www.semisolidmedia.com/Rock_Band

 

CanDevs

WCG Canada Finals August 28-30 2009

The Canadian stage of the 2009 World Cyber Games competition will be held in Toronto from August 28 to 30, 2009. The National Finals will be part of Fan Expo 2009, an annual fan convention dedicated to showcasing comics, anime, science fiction, horror, and related forms of popular arts.

The finalists will compete to join WCG’s Team Canada, and the chance to represent Canada at the 2009 World Cyber Games Grand Final being held in Chengdu, China from November 11 to 15, 2009.

Gamers at the tournament will testing their skills on Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC), FIFA Soccer 2009 (PC), Guitar Hero: World Tour (XBOX), and Virtua Fighter 5 (XBOX).

For more information visit WCG Canada and Fan Expo.

CanDevs

Toronto’s Bedlam Games Hired to Complete Development on Scratch: The Ultimate DJ

The following press release was received from Donald Henderson, Studio General Manager & COO of Bedlam Games:

Scratch DJ Game, LLC Announces New Development Team

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Scratch DJ Game, LLC, a joint venture between Numark Industries, LLC and Genius Products, LLC, announced today that it has recently hired Commotion Interactive, the music and party game division of Bedlam Games Inc., to complete development of its much anticipated music rhythm game, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ. In choosing the industry veterans at Commotion Interactive, Scratch DJ Game, LLC underscores its commitment to successfully launching Scratch and establishing a strong footprint in the progressively growing and competitive music gaming industry.

“With Scratch: The Ultimate DJ we will deliver an innovative, ground breaking video game for fans of hip-hop,” said Jack O’Donnell, CEO of Scratch DJ Game, LLC. “We have selected Commotion and are confident that they are the best choice to help us achieve our mission. The team’s rich and varied development experience includes talent from Rockstar Games, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts.”

“Scratch: The Ultimate DJ offers a revolutionary take on the existing music/rhythm genre. The combination of the game and the proprietary Scratch Deck controller will bring the art of DJing to the masses,” said Trevor Fencott, CEO of Bedlam Games Inc. “The Scratch Deck combines a touch sensitive turntable from Numark with the drumpads from the iconic Akai Professional MPC. This combination delivers an authentic music gaming experience unlike any other. We are thrilled to embark on this venture with Scratch, and can’t wait for this exciting title to hit store shelves.”

Commotion’s mission is to deliver music and party game titles borne of exceptional design, fostered by meticulous planning, and realized by a world-class team. The studio was formed in 2006 by a seasoned group of industry professionals who are united in their belief that games can be developed on a creative level. The Commotion team is dedicated to providing quality titles that resonate with consumers looking for an entertaining and original gaming experience.

Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will be available in early 2010 on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information on Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, please visit: http://www.scratchvideogame.com/

About Scratch DJ Game, LLC

Scratch DJ Game, LLC is a joint venture between Numark Industries and Genius Products formed for the purpose of bringing innovative music games to market.

About Numark Industries

Numark Industries is the global leader of professional DJ and audio equipment, and is known for providing progressive breakthrough technology. Since 1971, Numark has designed and delivered hundreds of innovative DJ products, resulting in numerous music industry “firsts”. Today, the company is at the forefront of the digital DJ revolution, and is recognized for creating the best hardware controllers for professional and semi-professional DJ software in the industry. The team at Numark, under its Ion Audio division, has also enjoyed success in developing music gaming peripherals, having produced and distributed the award-winning Drum Rocker, the Premium Drum Set Controller for the Rock Band music game franchise. For more information, visit www.numark.com; images are available at http://www.numark.com/media.

About Genius Products

Genius Products, Inc. (GNPR.PK) is the owner of Genius Products, LLC, a leading independent home-entertainment distribution company that produces, licenses and distributes a valuable library of motion pictures, television programming, family, lifestyle and trend entertainment on DVD and other emerging platforms through its expansive network of retailers throughout the U.S.

About Commotion Interactive

Commotion Interactive is the music and party game division of Bedlam Games Inc., an independent venture capital backed developer of next generation console video games located in Toronto, Canada. Formed in 2006 and independent since 2007 the studio has gathered some of the finest industry veterans to come together to develop quality titles for current generation console platforms. For more information, please visit www.commotioninteractive.com

CanDevs

DIG London Game Design Competition 2009

 

The following was pulled from the DIG London web site:

The DIG London Game Design Competition for Students is coming again this September 2009!

September 18 – October 5, 2009 (for art and programming) October 12 – October 16, 2009 (for sound).

Artists, Programmers and Audio designers will have an opportunity to earn a share of $10,000 in cash prizes!

The highest quality work will be exposed to the Ontario game design industry at the DIG London Conference, November 3-4, 2009, in London, Ontario.

Last year’s competition produced six cash winners and three of the winners began careers with well known game developers!

Go to game.diglondon.ca for full details.

Registration Now Open for GameON: Finance 2009

From Interactive Ontario news release:

Registration is open for GameON: Finance 2009, taking place October 27 & 28 in Toronto. This is the third edition of the two-day investment forum, designed to bring investors and video game developers together to explore business opportunities in the rapidly expanding games industry.
 
Event attendees will receive access to case studies, business discussions, examples of successful corporate models, project financing ideas and one-on-one meetings between developers and financers. Tickets can be purchased at www.gameonfinance.com

About GameON: Finance (www.gameonfinance.com)
GameON: Finance is an investment forum for the interactive games industry that connects game developers, innovators, investors and industry leaders. Over the course of two days in downtown Toronto, presentations, case-studies and panel sessions will provide insight on the diverse prospects for growth within the dynamic economic, creative and technological landscape of games.

CanDevs

Ubisoft to open studio in Toronto

This story is a few days old now, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts.

So it was announced this week that French-based company Ubisoft will be opening up a studio in Toronto by year’s end. This new major studio will finally put Toronto (and Ontario for that matter) on a more equal level as Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has long had EA as its major development studio centrepiece, and Montreal has its own Ubisoft studio.

The reason this announcement is important is that this new Toronto studio will eventually employ about 800 people. Even though the greater Toronto area does have offices of other well-known companies like Rockstar, Activision, and Capcom – these offices only employ on average 100 people and mostly work on small projects, or are only marketing or sales offices.

This new Ubisoft studio will be employing 800 actual game developers within 10 years. This will allow talented Ontario developers to stay in the province and not have to move away to get big-studio experience. And as has happened in Vancouver and Montreal, in time Toronto will also probably see an increase in independent game studios - both as a result of former Ubisofters and its related talent pool, and because of the Ontario government’s commitment to the video games industry.

The Ontario government will be investing about $250 million over 10 years, with Ubisoft itself investing $500 million. Part of the overall plan in setting up Ubisoft Toronto, in addition to stimulating the Ontario economy, is to use Toronto’s already strong film industry talent, and build on that to expand into other entertainment mediums.

As a whole, the new Ubisoft Toronto studio announcement is a very postive thing indeed.

CanDevs

Interactive Ontario to launch Interactive Kids Event in 2010

Entertainment & Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund fuels international strategy to highlight Ontario’s strengths in production of kids interactive & education content and services

June 8, 2009 (Toronto) – Interactive Ontario today announced a new project, ONKidz, that is aimed at promoting Ontario’s Kids sector on a global scale. The ONKidz project will culminate with a business event focused on the interactive kids space in the spring of 2010 in Toronto, Canada. ONkidz supports the creation and commercialization of Ontario-made interactive media content and services for kids ages 4 to 15.
 
“It goes without saying that kids prioritize their interactions with and through digital media very differently than their parents,” said Ian Kelso, President and CEO of Interactive Ontario. “ Interactive Ontario is thrilled to present a unique event pulling together the leading creators of interactive experiences and the producers, broadcasters, and publishers who are leading the charge on building integrated cross-platform markets.”
 
The ONkidz event serves a catalyst for a deeper exploration of the technological and creative potential of kids content. This project will be spearheaded by industry leaders including: The Alliance for Children & Television, Astral Media Inc, Bitcasters, Blue Print Entertainment, Breakthrough New Media, Capybara Games, CBC, Corus Entertainment, Decode Entertainment, Earth Rangers, Kids Can Press, marblemedia, Meridian Artists, Portfolio Entertainment, Spin Master LTD and Zinc Roe Inc.

This project is made possible through the Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnership Fund, administered by the Ontario Media Development Corporation, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture.

About Interactive Ontario
IO is a not-for-profit industry trade organization committed to the growth of the Ontario interactive digital content industry. To this end IO is an industry advocate within Ontario and nationally as a founding member of the Canadian Interactive Alliance /Alliance interactive canadienne (CIAIC). www.interactiveontario.com

CanDevs

Ontario’s businesses shine in second edition of landmark study of Canada’s interactive digital media industry

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, June 4, 2009 – The Canadian Interactive Alliance / l’Alliance interactive canadienne (CIAIC) today released complete results of its 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile (CIIP), including an analysis of the interactive media industry in Ontario.

For 2008, the CIIP study looked only at firms that derived more than 50 per cent of their revenue from interactive digital media work, which excluded broadcasters, ISPs and other similar media enterprises. Overall, the 2008 CIIP estimates the number of interactive media companies in Canada at 2,960, collectively employing between 51,000 and 52,500 Canadians in various roles. The estimated revenue generated by these companies is $4.7 billion annually, with $3.8 billion of that coming from interactive digital media projects, and $900 million from other forms of media and entertainment.

The full report can be found online at www.ciaic.ca. Highlights of the CIIP:

• Through the recognized gross-up method used in the survey, it is estimated that Ontario is home to approximately 950-1,050 interactive digital media companies that employ more than 16,000 people. These companies generate between $1.3 and $1.5 billion in annual gross revenue, and between $1.1 and $1.2 billion in interactive digital media revenue;

• Among the 45 per cent of Ontario companies surveyed who said they exported goods and services, revenue derived from exports accounted for 54.7 per cent of total revenue – the highest percentage of all five regions in the 2008 CIIP;

• Among small interactive media companies – defined as those firms with less than $250,000 in annual revenue – in all five regions, Ontario’s were the most prolific employers, with an average staff size of five full-time equivalent (FTE) positions;

• Interactive Ontario ranked first out of 20 associations, groups and professional organizations to which the province’s interactive media firms reported belonging.

“The Ontario government has identified the entertainment and creative cluster as the fastest-growing sector of our economy over the next 10 years, led by the interactive digital media industries — and the latest findings from the CIIP certainly bear that out,” said Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corporation. “As we continue to strengthen Ontario’s knowledge-based economy, OMDC is proud to support the interactive digital media industry through a variety of programs, funds, events and tax credits, as well as through important research projects like this.”

“Interactive media continues to be a corporate priority for Telefilm Canada, and the findings of the Canadian Interactive Industry Profile demonstrate how important Telefilm has been to this growth industry,” said Wayne Clarkson, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “Being recognized as one of the most important national funding sources is proof that Telefilm has played a part in helping to increase revenues and create jobs in the interactive media industry.”

“The 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile clearly shows the future potential of this fast-growing segment of the knowledge economy,” said Ian Kelso, President of the CIAIC and President and CEO of Interactive Ontario. “We believe that the story of Canada’s interactive digital media and its contribution to our country’s GDP, employment base and global competitiveness has only just begun to be told.”

Companies participating in the 2008 edition of the CIIP, which is at present the only national study of Canada’s interactive media industry, reported that revenue from interactive digital media work grew a remarkable 50.9 per cent between 2006 and 2008, and a respectable 17.4 per cent rate of growth in revenue from all sources over the same period.

Other national-level statistics of note from the 2008 CIIP include:

• The vast majority – 85 per cent – of companies are wholly Canadian-owned;

• 60 to 70 per cent of interactive media projects are based on original intellectual property;

• Nearly half – 46 per cent – of industry revenue is generated through two task categories: Game Design and Development, and Website Design and Development;

• A full third of respondents said they performed work in five or more interactive digital media task categories.

Funding supporters of the 2008 CIIP are Telefilm Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Business New Brunswick.

About CIAIC

Formed in June 2005, the Canadian Interactive Alliance/l’Alliance Interactive Canadienne is a not-for-profit association and the authoritative voice for Canada’s interactive digital media industry on the national stage. Its membership is composed of seven provincial interactive media associations: Alliance Numérique, Digital Alberta, Interactive Media Alliance of PEI, Interactive Ontario, Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Association, New Media BC, and SaskInteractive.

For more on the alliance, visit the CIAIC’s website at http://www.ciaic.ca.

 

CanDevs

New directory listing: Antic Entertainment, Parallel World Labs, United Front Games

First off, sorry for the lack of updates. I’ve just been lazy. No excuses, just lazy. There are a few events that I’ve missed posting on here so I’ll try and keep up with current events better. No promises though. Anyway, on to the updates.

Thanks to Mark for emailing me about Antic Entertainment out of London, Ontario. They are a casual games developer working on their first published title, Junk Wars.

 

Another company added to the site is Parallel World Labs in Toronto. They’ve been around since the early 1990s when they were known as Immersion Studios. Parallel World Labs creates interactive exhibits for museums and similar public venues.

Yet another BC company is United Front Games. Out of Vancouver, United Front Games is currently working on projects for both PS3 and Xbox360. UFG is comprised of many industry veterans from nearby Vancouver development studios.

CanDevs

BC News: Cosmic Logic, Big Park

Here is some recent British Columbia video game news:

Andrew Roberts, President and CEO of Cosmic Logic recently sent me word of his new company. Launched approximately one year ago, Kelowna’s Cosmic Logic is a self-published indie developer focusing on digital distribution platforms such as XBLA, PSN, WiiWare, PC and iPhone.

Here’s wishing Cosmic Logic much success and exposure!

Other news has Microsoft acquiring Vancouver-based Big Park. Not much is known about the deal but it’s rumoured that Big Park is working on an exclusive Xbox360 title.

CanDevs

New directory listing: Reverie World Studios, Smoking Gun Studios, WishboneX Creations

Reverie World Studios is based in Ontario. They are currently in development of Dawn of Fantasy, a real-time-strategy game set for release on PC and Xbox360.

Smoking Gun Studios is composed of industry veterans. Based in Vancouver, they are currently developing their first major console title.

WishboneX Creations is developing Pro Wrestling  X, a wrestling game for PC. They are located in Burnaby, BC.

CanDevs

New French language video game law in Quebec

On April 1st a new law came into effect in the province of Quebec regarding the sale of video games. The law states that if a French-language version of a game exists, it must be made available to consumers. If a game has both a French and English version, only the French version will be sold in stores in Quebec.

The law does not prevent the sale of non-French language games. If a game does not have a French-language version (usually Parisian French), then whatever version has been developed be it in English, Japanese, or other, then it will still be available to Quebecers. If a French version is subsequently released, then it will replace the non-French product on store shelves.

The new law is meant to promote the French language in the province. It also forces retailers, distributers, and publishers to make French-language games accessible to the Francophone community. In many cases there are already localized versions (French included) of games developed, but their distribution in the province of Quebec has been neglected. Developers needn’t worry as their games will still be for sale in Quebec no matter what language their games have been developed in.

CanDevs

Ontario budget clicks with Interactive Media industry

The following press release is courtesy of Danielle Engels from Interactive Ontario:

March 27, 2009, (Toronto) – Yesterday the Ontario government released its 2009 budget which included significant improvements to the province’s competitive edge in the interactive media marketplace. Through a series of improvements to the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC) and a boost to the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Ontario now offers some of the most competitive production and development environments for the creation of interactive media products and services anywhere in the world.
 
The Interactive media industry is comprised of companies working on emerging and developing platforms such as video game consoles, the web and mobile phones. There are currently about 700 companies working in the interactive media industry in Ontario.
 
“This budget can leave no doubt that Ontario is very serious about its digital future,” said Ian Kelso, President & CEO, Interactive Ontario. “It is a tremendous boost to our competitive edge, and I have no doubt the world will take notice.”
 
“This new support from the Ontario Government will foster new growth in the interactive media industry. Not only will it be easier to market interactive projects, but the development support will give companies the freedom to incubate innovative, forward-thinking ideas and allow us to stay competitive in the global market,” said Mark Bishop, Chair, Interactive Ontario Board of Directors & Partner/Executive Producer, marblemedia.
 
This budget proposes, effective for qualifying expenditures incurred after March 26, 2009 to increase the OIDMTC rates to:

•    40 %  (from 30%) for qualifying corporations, regardless of size, that develop and market their own eligible products; and
 
•    35 %  (from 25%) for qualifying corporations that develop eligible products under a fee-for-service arrangement.
 
For qualifying expenditures incurred after March 26, 2009:

•    to expand the OIDMTC, to allow corporations to claim 100 % of the amount paid to eligible arm’s-length contractors that is attributable to the salaries and wages of the contractor’s employees; and
 
•    to extend the OIDMTC to digital media game developers that incur a minimum$1 million of eligible labour expenditures over a 36-month period for fee-for-service work done in Ontario in respect of an eligible product. Corporations that meet the minimum expenditure test would not be required to be at arm’s length with the purchaser corporation, or to develop all, or substantially all, of the eligible product.
 
This budget is proposing about $100 million annually in additional tax relief and investments of about $30 million to support the entertainment and creative cluster. These measures include proposals to:

•    enhance tax support for the creation of interactive digital media products in Ontario;
•    enhance the refundable book publishing tax credit;
•    make the enhanced tax credit rates under the refundable film and television tax credits permanent, to create predictability and stability for the industry;
•    provide $20 million to the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, which supports a number of Ontario’s creative industries as they compete domestically and globally; and
•    invest $10 million in a pilot program, administered through OMDC, that would refund a portion of the costs associated with intellectual property development to Ontario-based companies in the screen-based industries.

CanDevs

 

Interactive Exchange 09: My thoughts

Interactive Exchange is a conference dedicated to interactive media. It features panel discussions and keynote speakers with the intent of sharing ideas and forecasting trends. This year’s version, Interactive Exchange 09 was held from March 17 to 19. Although Interactive Exchange 09 was a 3-day conference, I unfortunately was only able to attend the events on the 18th, and the meet-and-greet held at Shmooze nightclub that same evening. Regrettably I also arrived late so I missed the morning’s only games-related panel discussion, IN Short: Ontario Game Spotlight.

IN09 was held at the Carlu (Yonge and College) in Toronto. It was a very nice venue that is designated a historic site featuring art-deco style architecture. Though not creepy, the interior kind of reminded me of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride at Disney World.

Anyway, since my main interest lies in the video games industry, I was looking to view games-related presentations. Here are some of the floor exhibitor highlights:

CATGames- (Creativity Assistive Tools for Games) is a research network involving several Canadian post-secondary educational institutions and technology partners. CATGames research teams are working on creating technology tools for game production on a variety of interactive platforms. On display CATGames had a demo of a web browser with built-in 3D capabilities.

GestureTek- GestureTek (formerly known as Vivid Group) is a Toronto-based company that creates and develops interactive arenas used primarily in the museum, science centre and hall of fame industry. Unfortunately they did not have a working demo of their products.

George Brown College – Toronto’s George Brown College had an interesting static information display of a kid’s interactive game that was created for the Toronto Zoo. It’s a showcase of the type of project that their post-graduate program is capable of producing.

I was only able to attend two actual presentations. The first one was about how the “Obama Girl” video came into being and how it became a hit on the Internet. It was presented by the creator and founder of BarelyPolitical/ BarelyDigital, Ben Reeles, and “Obama Girl” herself Amber Lee Ettinger. Though not games related, it was an interesting session.

The second presentation was called Apps Boom and featured a panel discussion on the ever-growing mobile phone apps market. The bottom line is that developing mobile games, specifically for the iPhone can be both cost effective and lucrative. As well, Facebook/iPhone game developers through Facebook Connect, will now be able to integrate the Facebook platform and user’s identities into their own applications.

Additionally, I met a few people that I had interesting games-related conversations with. Martin from Marble Media, Andrew from George Brown College, and Ryan from Untold Entertainment. Coincidentally Ryan had emailed me asking to include Untold on CanDevs just a few weeks ago.

Overall it was a good conference. My only gripe is that there were actually two games-related panel discussions in the afternoon (Apps Boom and NP2 – New Platforms/New Players) being held at the same time so I had to choose the one to attend. I would have preferred to have been able to see both. Other than that, things were good.

Anyway, I’d like to thank Danielle Engels from Interactive Ontario for getting me the press pass to the conference.

CanDevs

Canadian Interactive Industry Profile launch next week at IN: The Interactive Exchange

The Canadian Interactive Alliance / l’Alliance interactive canadienne (CIAIC) will release results of the 2009 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile at IN: The Interactive Exchange in Toronto on March 18, 2009.

As the only national research survey tracking Canada’s interactive digital media industry – and in light of the Minister of Canadian Heritage’s announcement on March 9, 2009 reaffirming the importance of the industry – the Canadian Interactive Industry Profile is a vital resource and policy tool for any journalist covering consumer technology.

Funding supporters of the 2009 CIIP are Telefilm Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ontario Media Development Corporation, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Business New Brunswick.

Formed in June 2005, the Canadian Interactive Alliance / l’Alliance Interactive Canadienne is a not-for-profit association and the authoritative voice for Canada’s interactive digital media industry on the national stage. Its membership is composed of seven provincial interactive media associations: Alliance Numérique, Digital Alberta, Interactive Media Alliance of PEI, Interactive Ontario, Manitoba Interactive Digital Media Association, New Media BC, and SaskInteractive.

For more on the alliance, visit the CIAIC’s website at http://www.ciaic.ca/

For information on IN: Interactive Exchange visit http://www.inexchange09.com/

CanDevs

Digital Media Power Players & Next Generation Entrepreneurs Tackle the Future of New Media and Growth Opportunities in Uncertain Times at IN09

The following is courtesy of Danielle Engels from Interactive Ontario:

March 5, 2009, (Toronto) – Growing a digital business during a recession and debating the future of New Media in Canada are among the themes that will be examined by industry leaders at this month’s digital media conference, IN: The Interactive Exchange (IN09), taking place March 17-19 in Toronto.

The multi-stream conference will open with a keynote presentation by Futurist Christian Crews, Principal, andSpace Labs. Crews helps clients create sustainable competitive advantage in highly uncertain environments. Prior to andSpace Labs, Crews was Director of Futures Strategy, Director of Growth Strategies, and Director of Corporate Strategy at Pitney Bowes Inc (NYC).

IN09 will feature two interactive debates on the future of interactive media in Canada with panels that include Richard Stursburg, executive vice-president English services for CBC, journalist and blogger, Ivor Tossell, and entrepreneur Jeremy Wright, CEO, B5 Media. As traditional broadcasters reel from the downturn in advertising revenue, the CRTC is re-visiting regulation of New Media – a sector that continues to grow despite the global recession. Discussion will touch upon new media broadcasting, net neutrality and strategies key to creating globally competitive companies in the digital media space.

IN09’s opening media power panel features Jonathan Lister, managing director and head of Google Canada, Stephan Argent, vice-president, digital media, CTV Inc., Claude Galipeau, senior vice-president, digital media for Rogers, and Jeffrey Elliot co-CEO of BiteTV who will discuss the shifting market and the evolution of interactive digital media business models.

Representing the next generation of media entrepreneurs, IN09 will feature Joel Auge of Burlington-based HitGrab, makers of MouseHunt, who recently won $250,000 in a Facebook-sponsored competition. Several other emerging digital entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to present their product and company on stage at IN09 via the IN the Spotlight program, supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Interactive Ontario.

Visit www.inexchange09.com for the full speaker list, schedule and conference tickets.

IN09 Press Pass application form: http://www.inexchange09.com/media

About IN: The Interactive Exchange
IN: The Interactive Exchange offers a variety of streams including social media, cross platform entertainment, games, and mobile services. During two and a half days in downtown Toronto, the interactive digital media industry is examined through the lens of business models, research and public policy.

About Interactive Ontario
IO is a not-for-profit industry trade organization committed to the growth of the Ontario interactive digital content industry with over 200 member companies.

CanDevs

GDC Canada 2009

The Game Developers Conference Canada (GDC Canada) will be held May 12-13 2009 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.

GDC Canada (evolving from the Vancouver Game Summit) will hold information sessions, have guest speakers, and present networking opportunities for game developers.

Registration is now open and full information can be obtained at www.gdc-canada.com

CanDevs