[1]The Canada Media Fund [1] (CMF) announced yesterday that 24 interactive digital media projects received a total of $11.8M in funding [2]as part of the second round of production support from the Experimental Stream for 2014-2015. The Experimental Stream encourages the creation of innovative, interactive digital media content and software applications. The 24 companies are located in various regions of the country; one in Alberta, two in British Columbia, one in New Brunswick, one in Newfoundland and Labrador, one in Nova Scotia, eight in Ontario, and ten in Québec.
Consumers will be able to enjoy a variety of interactive digital media content including 16 games, 5 interactive content, 1 social media platform and 2 software applications on a variety of devices such as Windows PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Vita, Xbox One, and Oculus Rift.
Including this round of funding, the CMF has already provided more than $116M in production funding to 177 projects since the Experimental Stream was created in 2010. Production support provides funding for the creation of a final, market-ready version of an eligible project and preliminary marketing and commercialization activities.
Title | Applicant | Commitment |
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Agro | Tuque Games Inc. | $550,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
A first-person shooter like no other, Agro challenges players to build up their arsenal and protect their home in this game for PCs. Thousands of possible weapon combinations, upgrades and customizations create a game that is infinitely diverse and endlessly engaging. The year is 2025 and a handful of multinational agricultural mega-corporations now control the entirety of the world’s crop fields, grains and food supplies. In other words; they own the world. Governments try to step in but the massive privatization of social services has left them powerless to the economic might of Agro. The entire world economy has collapsed. People are left to their own devices to fight for food, water and ultimately survival. |
Boximals: Cross Country | Boximals Studios Inc. | $452,005 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : British Columbia Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Set in modern day Canada, the adventure begins with a group of Boximals in Vancouver that come to the realization that they simply don’t know much about the place they call home, nor the other provinces they consider their neighbours. In true Boximals spirit, the curious group of friends chart a course for a trip across Canada with stops along the way in each province. They will meet new friends, and find themselves visiting everything from local attractions to the city park. Boximals: Cross Country is a game for iPad. |
Dead by Daylight | Behaviour Interactive Inc. | $1,000,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
The vision of Dead by Daylight is to create an emotional experience designed to evoke the terror of a classic horror movie. The gameplay is designed to make players feel like they are actually inside an interactive and immersive thriller where they are being hunted by a terrifying slasher. Built for the latest generation of consoles and personal computers, Dead by Daylight features an innovative, asynchronous set up where four campers have to survive the night against one powerful slasher. The gameplay is split into two different experiences: the campers, who experience the game through a third person perspective and the slasher, who hunts them from first person. |
Fonfon numérique – Expériences de lecture créative | Les Éditions André Fontaine Inc. | $295,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : None Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Fonfon digital is an online software application for Apple and Android devices that lets users read books and create content using a double-entry platform. A management interface will allow those supervising activities, from teachers to parents, to oversee app use and access tutorials and recommendations. Each book in the Fonfon library will have its own dedicated application. |
GIFStory | Stagename Inc. | $341,398 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Social media Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
GIFStory is a new digital medium to discover, consume and share headline news. The goal for GIFStory is to make a youth audience more connected to stories that matter, by empowering them with tools to incorporate and share their own unique perspective. It is the first digital media platform designed for iOS 7+, Android, Email, and Desktop web to deliver the news embedded directly in a GIF, a looping image animation format already very popular among this demographic. Consumers combine their GIF reactions with headlines from hundreds of trusted news sources, becoming both editors and distributors of news worth sharing to their friends. |
Glass Party | Frima Studio Inc. | $663,901 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Primarily displayed on a big screen through the Xbox One, Glass Party will use SmartGlass-enabled smartphones as controllers for up to 16 people. Users will have to dance their way to the finish line to the sound of their favorite songs, stopping every now and then to unleash a series of wacky mini-games. Get ready for a hilarious journey into the unexpected, since the weird and the outright ludicrous awaits those who venture into the world of Glass Party. |
Heroes Rule | Gogii Games Corp | $351,871 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : New Brunswick Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
In Heroes Rule, a game for mobile devices on iOS, Android, and Windows devices, players liberate the Six Realms from the long darkness that the Lich King has wrought. With storytelling and visual effects, the game transports the player into the world as the Lone Saviour – a knight who must rally his troops to save the Realms. Players will unlock new heroes, harness powerful dragons, and hone the skills of their troops until they’re ready to return the world to the light and banish the dark forever. |
Jotun I – DM | 9300-2665 Québec inc. | $210,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Jotun is an action-exploration game for personal computers (Steam), consoles (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U), and hand-held consoles (3DS, PlayStation Vita) that takes you on an epic journey through Viking purgatory. Reinventing the genre pioneered by Journey, Shadow of the Colossus and The Legend of Zelda, Jotun combines beautiful 2D hand-drawn animation never before seen in action-exploration gaming, a strong female protagonist and an authentic take on Norse mythology in gaming. |
Kôna: Épisode 1 | Studio Parabole Inc. | $113,709 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
In October 1970, the Cree community of Northern Quebec clashes with W. Hamilton, a copper mine magnate in the region they believe is destroying sacred lands solely to increase profits. When Hamilton’s home is vandalized, he is convinced the Cree are to blame so he hires Carl Faubert, a Korean War veteran turned private detective, to handle the situation. But when Faubert shows up to start his investigation, he finds that his client, along with all of the locals, are missing. Supported by Oculus Rift technology, this video game combines elements of adventure and horror and requires strong survival skills. Players step into Faubert’s shoes and explore Northern Quebec as they search for clues to help solve the mystery. |
L.A.R.G.E. -Location-based Augmented Reality Gaming Engine | Albedo Informatics Inc. | $440,868 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
LARGE is an acronym for Location-based Augmented Reality (AR) Gaming Engine. LARGE is a platform that will enable anyone, including game-designers, teenagers, fitness enthusiasts, parents, businesses/brands and educators to create location-based and AR projects. Users build experiences through a simple web interface and share their projects with friends (or the entire LARGE user base) who can access projects through mobile devices such as smartphones and AR smart glasses, such as Google Glass. LARGE is designed to encourage users to be active and explore their surroundings. |
LANGA 2.0 | Copernicus Studios Inc. | $500,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Nova Scotia Platform : Digital Media Content type : Rich Interactive Media Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
LANGA is a Language Game for PC where users can learn a foreign language through casual games, arcade-style games, brain teasers and interactive avatars. It is an affordable and scientifically proven multi-platform solution to learn a new language. Langa is led by an animation studio, powered by a team of Engineers, curated by a Neurocognitive Lab, and reviewed by the public. |
Liquid Harmony-a guided tonal music creation system incorporating mined song data | WaveDNA Ltd. | $370,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Rich Interactive Media Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Liquid Harmony guides and assists users in the creation of tonal music tracks across a variety of instrument types, from bass lines to chords to lead melodies. This software application will work in conjunction with existing Liquid Rhythm applications, as well as other studio software such as popular DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) and other plug-ins or external controllers. Users can make interactive selections from lists of constructive musical components that combine to form new and uniquely editable instrument tracks. Users can also alter the harmonic environment for multiple tracks collectively. |
LOOV | Zone3 Inc. | $751,904 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : French Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Rich Interactive Media Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
LOOV is a fun and lyrical interactive experiential application for iPad and Android devices designed to educate children 7 to 14 about sexuality while providing their parents with support throughout the process. Using a sophisticated artistic experience and video-game-like navigation tools, LOOV explores the broad topic of sexuality from a positive exploratory perspective. Children set off on a first-person interactive journey that leads them to discover a fictional narrative and a variety of content linked to the many different dimensions of sexuality. The app adapts to users based on their interactions and suggests content that fits with their psychosexual profile. |
Maize | Finish Line Games Inc. | $499,999 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
In Maize, players will wake up in a corn maze, won’t know who they are, how they got there, or what they’re supposed to do. In this game for console or PC (Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Humble Bundle), players will have no choice but to walk forward, through the stalks, into the unknown and soon they discover they are not alone. Players unravel its secrets, solve its puzzles, but whatever they do, they can’t lose your way. |
Rev Inc | XGen Studios Inc. | $534,425 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Alberta Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Rev Inc is an episodic story-based graphic adventure set in the world of 1970’s industrial espionage within professional racing. In scenes resembling gouache painting combined with lifestyle illustration, players carry out top-secret missions from the perspective of different characters in a series of overlapping and out of sequence scenes. The game features a series-of-events style narrative, with a diverse and rotating cast of characters. The length of each episode is approximately 1 hour, with 4 episodes planned. Rev Inc will be available for iOS, PlayStation 4, Mac and PC. |
Runbow | 13AM Games Inc. | $267,580 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Runbow is a never-before seen action racing game. Up to nine players scramble through platforms and obstacles that appear and disappear as the background colour changes. If you can’t see something, it doesn’t exist. Runbow features an original colour mechanic, a 60s pop-art inspired art style, and the largest local multiplayer experience available on Nintendo Wii U. |
sCARCITY | Phantom Compass Inc. | $417,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
sCARCITY is the first video game for PCs to combine real-time car combat and tower defense. The player becomes a wheeled warrior, driving an armed muscle car to shoot and smash opposing forces. Defenders try to protect a walled fortress and fight off waves of enemy attackers. The game offers solo play, local multi-play (up to 4 players), and networked multi-play (up to 4 players). A player can take on a Defender or Attacker role in 3 different modes of play: Defender (Solo and Multi-player), Attacker (Solo and Multi-player) or Duel (Multi-player). |
Shot Lister App | Reel Apps Inc. | $221,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : British Columbia Platform : Digital Media Content type : None Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Shot Lister is a mobile tool that allows filmmakers to build a shot-by-shot plan for each shoot day, instantly adjust it “live” on their iOS device as the situation evolves on set, and immediately share updates with the crew. This ability to digitally manage hundreds of scenes and thousands of shots in the palm of your hand has been praised as truly revolutionary for the film industry. |
Stacks | Guru Play Stacks Ltd. | $459,027 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Stacks is a game for mobile devices (iOS, Android) that takes the familiar activity of stacking blocks and expands the experience in unexpected ways to generate a wide variety of challenges and experiences. Users will be tasked to stack as high as they can, knock down a stack, or defend a stack from incoming meteors. They’ll use blocks that stick together, blocks that float, blocks that burst into flame and many more while playing in a variety of locations such as aboard the deck of a ship, in space, or even on quicksand. |
Télécommande urbaine (La) | 9309-4076 Québec Inc. | $615,664 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : Bilingual Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Rich Interactive Media Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Developed in collaboration with the Quartier des spectacles, the urban remote control mobile application, for iOS, helps users become agents of change within given territories. Presenting the complete Quai des spectacles lineup, interactive courses and experiences promoting civic contributions, the app manages content by acting as a smart aggregator as well as by letting users unlock a number of activities in their area simply by moving around or using their phone differently. |
Terracosm | Digital Howard Inc. | $1,000,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Ontario Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Built for iOS and Android devices, Terracosm is an interactive app-based scifi kids adventure, with a robust gaming experience and real-world field missions that take place in science centers and museums around the globe. Terracosm will be deployed across two exciting apps: The Terracosm Academy App and The Terracosm VISRs App. The Terracosm Academy App sees players enter the story world as a Terracosm cadet and features a robust world-builder game with embedded multi-level hero games and integrated Interactive Graphic Novels (IGN) that gradually reveal an ongoing narrative as the player progresses. The Terracosm VISRs App challenges the player with field missions. Available at participating science centers around the world, the Terracosm VISRs App connects to beacons found throughout the Science Centers, triggering a series of mini-games and augmented reality content. |
TGiT – Tague ta musique – indexeur de métadonnées | Iconoclaste Musique Inc. | $375,000 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : French Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Rich Interactive Media Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
The web based for any device one-of-a-kind solution to a little-known yet highly strategic issue, TGiT provides players in the music industry with the right tools to help their content break out and become “discoverable” in the global digital universe with the help of all those involved in its value chain, from creator to consumer. TGiT provides artists and primary rights holders in the music industry with a comprehensive software ecosystem for managing music metadata by letting them perform initial indexation of descriptive metadata for sound files to ensure adequate circulation in digital networks. |
VoidSpace | Universe Projects Inc. | $998,219 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Quebec Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Website Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
VoidSpace is a twitch-based Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in a sandboxed world called The Void that you can play on any modern computing device. Players build their own society made up of real players who all survive, invent, explore. Banding up with other players for protection will not only make the game easier and safer, but it can also accelerate your technological advancement as a group. |
Wits & Warfare | 69927 Newfoundland & Labrador Inc. | $383,894 |
Fiscal year : 2014-2015 Program : Experimental Language : English Activity : Production Genre : N/A Envelope : N/A |
Region : Newfoundland Platform : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Application Selection Round : 2 Status : Decision |
Wits and Warfare is a strategic empire-building game for iOS and Android platforms that delves into the lives of mad scientists. Players are immersed in each scientist’s work as they prove their theory as the one and only universal theory. Apart from mining “knowledge economies” through trivia, players can also explore different scientific ideologies in their pursuit of knowledge. It is a game unseen before in the genre; one that is entertaining, engaging, and one that may even be educating. |
In November, the CMF announced that for projects receiving Experimental Stream production support, the innovation and production team criteria were assessed by a jury [3] of Canadian and international industry specialists. The CMF will announce projects receiving funds for development and marketing support from the Experimental Stream in January.
2 Comments To "Twenty-four Canadian Companies Receive Funding For Interactive Digital Media Projects"
#1 Comment By Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer) On Monday December 8, 2014 @ 11:55 pm
24 Canadian Companies Receive @CMF_FMC Funding For Interactive Digital Media Projects [8] #eyeoncanada #wecreatebc
#2 Pingback By King N Trio On Wednesday February 11, 2015 @ 9:55 pm
[…] Twenty-four Canadian Companies Receive Funding For … [9] : Digital Media Content type : Game Delivery Method : Downloadable Selection Round : 2. Status : Decision. A first-person shooter like no other, Agro challenges players to build up their arsenal and protect their home … […]