Village Gamer

Ottawa – Singapore’s One Animation and Canada’s Amberwood Entertainment have signed a co-production deal for the animated preschool series Rob the Robot.

The 52 x 11 minute 3D series based on a set of Australian books follows the adventures of Rob and his friends as they explore the fantastical planets of the Robot Galaxy which are ripe with humour and fun. “We are delighted to be co-producing with One Animation.” says Chantal Ling, Executive Vice-President at Amberwood.

“They are extremely talented and will no doubt ensure that Rob the Robot is brought to life in an exciting way.”  Phillip Stamp, Executive Producer at One Animation stated, “Amberwood is a great studio with a history of producing many successful shows. We’re very pleased to share in the creative vision for Rob the Robot, and look forward to combining the extensive experience of both studios in bringing the series to an international audience.” Rob the Robot has been developed for and commissioned by Canada’s TV Ontario.  Both SRC and the Knowledge Network are also on board for the property which moves into production this spring.

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.

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Banff – Emmy Award-winner René Balcer, co-creator and executive producer of  “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and showrunner for the original “Law & Order” series, will join the Master Class series lineup for the 30th edition of the Banff World Television Festival (BANFF). BANFF takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada, June 7-10, 2009.

“We are thrilled to have René Balcer take the stage for the Master Class series,” commented Peter

Rene Balcer

Vamos, BANFF executive director. “René’s longevity in the television industry and success at leveraging a profitable series into a successful spin-off makes his attendance a valuable addition to this year’s program.”

Writer and producer René Balcer is a native of Montreal, Canada, and was a journalist and documentary filmmaker at Canada’s National Film Board prior to joining “Law & Order“ in its first season in 1990. He later became executive producer and head writer in 1996 and while under his leadership as showrunner, “Law & Order” won the Emmy for Best Drama Series in 1997.

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Vancouver – One of the original judges at the first Alcuin book design competition, Frank Newfeld, book designer, illustrator, art director, and former Vice President, Publishing at McClelland & Stewart, will share some of his thoughts on illustrated books, particularly those for the younger reader. This should be of special interest to fans of Newfeld’s illustrations for Alligator Pie (poems by Dennis Lee).

Copies of Mr. Newfeld’s recent memoir, Drawing on Type (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2008), will be available for purchase and signing.

Place: Fletcher Challenge Room, Simon Fraser University – Harbour Centre
2300 – 515 West Hastings St. Vancouver BC

Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00 pm
Free event for members and non-members – Open to the Public. Space is limited.

RSVP at gdc.net

Montreal – Interactive entertainment company Ludia Inc. and Entertainment Rights have announced that Ludia will create video games based on publishing phenomenon and ultimate world traveler, Where’s Waldo?®. Through the exclusive multi-year deal, the pop culture icon will leap from the pages of his best-selling books to engaging new games for consoles, PC/Mac, iPhone and iPod touch—for the first time ever. The first in the game series, “Where’s Waldo?: The Fantastic Journey” is slated to launch across several major platforms later this year.

“Waldo is one of the most recognizable characters in the world, and his adventurous spirit and cross-generational appeal is exactly what will be invoked in this family game series,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This deal broadens the Ludia portfolio and is in line with our successful strategy of taking immensely popular brands, translating them into rich interactive entertainment experiences for the whole family, then making them widely available on the platforms of their choice.”

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Okino Ships new Solid Edge Synchronous Technology CAD Importer for 3ds Max®, Maya®, Lightwave®, Cinema-4D®, XSI® & All Major Downstream 3D File Formats

Toronto – Okino Computer Graphics has announced that it is now shipping its newly rewritten Solid Edge CAD conversion system, compatible with the ground breaking Solid Edge Synchronous Technology modeling software which is taking the CAD world by storm in 2008 and 2009. The conversion pipeline allows native Solid Edge assembly, part, weldment and sheet metal files to be converted to all major animation + authoring packages, 3D downstream file formats and VisSim programs. Okino is one of the longest standing Solid Edge solution partner developers, providing excellent and well refined 3D data translation solutions for Solid Edge users and independent users of Solid Edge data.

Okino’s NuGraf and PolyTrans software imports crack-free geometry, hierarchy and materials (assembly data) from native disk-based Solid Edge files or from a running copy of Solid Edge, and subsequently provides high-end rendering, viewing and scene composition of the data, or have the data optimized and then pipelined into all major 3D file formats, animation packages and third party/OEM integrations. Most importantly, Solid Edge assemblies, parts, weldment and sheet metal files can be effortlessly and directly imported into all key animation systems such as 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage|XSI, Cinema-4D and Lightwave, as well as any third party product which integrates Okino’s PolyTrans 3D converters and all major downstream file formats ranging from COLLADA to DWF-3D to SketchUp and dozens more. A resident copy of the Solid Edge software is not required, but having it installed on the same machine as the Okino conversion software will provide extended control and options over the process.

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Montreal – FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators and producers of global entertainment brands, has announced a strategic minority equity investment in Ludia, a leading developer and publisher of interactive casual games based in Montreal, Canada. The deal is part of FremantleMedia’s ongoing expansion into the high-growth video games market. It also follows a range of new growth initiatives by the company’s new business unit, FremantleMedia Ventures, and represents the division’s first equity investment.

“Ludia has rapidly carved out a unique position in the competitive video games market by combining a strong focus on quality, exceptional technology and a multiplatform strategy. The company’s leadership team is outstanding and has a strong track record in the industry,” said Christian Schneider-Sickert, FremantleMedia’s Director of Operations and Strategy, who will be joining Ludia’s board.

FremantleMedia’s cash and rights investment will enable Ludia to further expand its portfolio of branded, IP-led casual games and to broaden its international business outside of North America. FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) already licenses formats such as American Idol, The Price is Right and Press Your Luck to Ludia, which has built a unique expertise in translating hit entertainment brands into top-selling games. Ludia recently debuted the The Price is Right game for PCs, gaming consoles and the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The game quickly became a top-selling game in its category on all formats.

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Quebec City – Beenox Studios has been given the nod to develop Guitar Hero® Greatest Hits, which was announced by Activision’s President and CEO Mike Griffith on February 2.

Slated for release this coming June, Guitar Hero® Greatest Hits will be a compilation of 48 top hits from previous versions of the Guitar Hero® franchise, all updated for full band play on Guitar Hero® World Tour. The Greatest Hits release will be produced from Guitar Hero® master recordings and feature several play modes – career mode, rockstar creator, Guitar Hero® music studio and an eight player online battle of the bands.

Gamers will be able to rock out in such globally diverse locations as the Amazon rain forest, the Grand Canyon and the polar ice caps. There will also be some improvements to the User Interface, player navigation and a better quickplay system, and DLC from GHTunes will be compatible with this new title.

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Vancouver – The ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver Chapter is pleased ao announce that tickets are now on sale for their March event.

Eric Barba and Steve Preeg of Digital Domain will be at the VanCity Theatre on Wednesday March 18 to present details about the technology and artistry in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that led to an Academy Award® for achievement in visual effects. Beginning with the invention of a new process called ‘e-motion capture’ for transferring a live actor’s likeness and performance to a CG model, it also includes everything from on-set data capture and editorial workflow, to facial expression and performance capture, to skin simulations and building a custom rig.

Doors will open at 6:30pm for an industry mixer sponsored by the BC Innovation Council, with the seminar beginning at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15.00 for members and $25.00 for non-members, with group pricing also available.

Other sponsors for this event are:  Sophia Books, Annex|Pro, Stash Media, Big Fish Games, Visual Effects Association of BC and the Society of Graphic Designers Canada BC Chapter.

Vancouver – THQ Inc. today announced that Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® II, developed by Vancouver’s Relic Entertainment, marked its first week debut as the best selling PC game across major video game markets worldwide, including the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia (according to the NPD Group, Inc., ELSPA/GfK Chart-Track and GfK.)

“We have built ‘Dawn of War’ into a premier PC gaming franchise based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe,” said Brian Farrell, THQ president and CEO. “We are pleased with consumers’ strong response to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II across many of our key markets and believe the game’s success clearly demonstrates our primary objective of delivering high quality games with strong global appeal. Warhammer 40,000 is a rich and growing universe and we look forward to expanding our offerings based on this brand in the future.”

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