16th June 2010

More Canadian E3 Goodness

Canada Media FundConfused about the Canada Media Fund? There’s a conversation going on over at Christine Lim-Labossiere’s site, Pentimento Productions. Christine is working on an initiative to assist Digital Media companies who would like to access the new Canada Media Fund-Convergent Stream, and she invites all interested parties to share their thoughts. As announced earlier this month, the CMF has extended its deadline for applications to its Experimental Stream has been extended from June 21 to July 5, 2010.

Blue Castle GamesCapcom and Blue Castle Games have released a new trailer for Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, which is scheduled for release on June 30th. A unique and stand alone piece of content, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will introduce players to the main protagonist, Chuck Greene, and game play features of Dead Rising 2 ahead of its release. Available exclusively to Xbox 360 owners via Xbox LIVE, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising and three years before the action of Dead Rising 2. Players purchasing Dead Rising 2: Case Zero who then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is not yet listed in the XBox Marketplace.

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TransGaming, Inc. has announced the redesign of its Mac digital distribution portal, GameTreeOnline, as well as the release of exciting new Mac games. As at E3 this week and on our site yesterday, GameTreeOnline features two new Disney Interactive TransGamingtitles, Toy Story 3 and Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey. Both titles are available immediately and only from GameTreeOnline as digital downloads. In addition, GameTreeOnline will release Her Interactive’s first award-winning Nancy Drew franchise title for Mac on June 29, 2010.

These new releases complement two new Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games from Riot Games and LEGO®, League of Legends and LEGO Universe, respectively. The Mac enablement and deployment of high quality franchises, such as LEGO’s first ever MMO title, clearly define TransGaming’s leadership position and adds to the company’s growing collection of award-winning titles that have been enabled for the Mac community using TransGaming’s Cider Portability Technology.

“TransGaming’s announcement of these new games coming to the Mac, at this year’s E3 Conference, clearly demonstrates to the gaming community that leading publishers are pursuing the Mac platform and are focused on releasing a simultaneous PC/Mac hybrid product,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming. “We have maintained our commitment to giving Mac gamers the highest quality gaming content and we are bringing these incredible games to the Mac simultaneously with their PC counterparts, which is possible only through our portability technology. TransGaming is truly delivering on the promise of a low-touch enablement technology for simultaneous multi-platform releases.”

Propaganda GamesDisney Interactive Studios have released the E3 trailer for Propaganda Games‘ upcoming epic, action role-playing game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, which will give gamers an entirely new experience within the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. The game takes place before the events of the blockbuster films. Players will take on the role of a pirate and embark on epic land and sea adventures. Numerous moral and character choices will need to be made that affect their character and the original story within the world. Players will explore a massive open world while fighting enemies, mystical creatures and Mother Nature, both to gain experience and stay alive. Supernatural elements familiar to the Pirates of the Caribbean world will also affect their character’s story and influence their choices. Armada of the Damned is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2010 for next-gen consoles and Windows PC.

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“Armada of the Damned is a dynamic action role-playing game that captures all of the franchise’s excitement, unpredictability and action while delving into narrative elements never before explored within this unique universe,” said Dan Tudge, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Our team’s collective experience with industry-leading RPGs and action titles provides a strong foundation for us to create and build a compelling action role-playing title.”

Disney Interactive has also released a new and innovative E3 2010 trailer for the TRON: Evolution video game that connects the storyline of the game and the film. The piece features the voice of Bruce Boxleitner as the character TRON, who takes the player through their paces and prepares them for immersion into a world they’ve never seen.

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Developed with visuals by Digital Domain, the company that is creating the effects for the “TRON: Legacy” film, this trailer does not show gameplay footage from the video game. Instead, the trailer was created as a unique piece of entertainment providing fans their first sneak peek at the video game fiction of TRON: Evolution which leads up to the events of the “TRON: Legacy” film. This trailer shows off the exciting action that fans will experience when they immerse themselves in the game, diving deep into a vast new world like no other complete with engaging narrative, complex mythology, high octane light cycle action, and high mobility combat – a unique mix of capeora, parkour and more.Mobile Game Studio

Mobile Game Studios have announced that their pirate adventure The High Seas is now available in the iTunes App Store for 60% less. This new action packed game casts the gamer as global treasure hunter. Fighting against the mighty pirates, lethal castles and deadly whirlpools you sail the seas in search of treasure chests, traveling through the Caribbean and Arctic on your quest for the title of a first class treasure hunter.
The High Seas on iTunes
The High Seas brings you into a whole new world, full of action, danger and mystery. Each level will present you with a new challenge – you are to collect the set amount of gold, but the mighty pirates will do everything in their power to protect their loot. Take a stand against your enemies with your cannons, blasting them out of the water. The seas are also against you on your quest as they put deadly towers, castles, icebergs and whirlpools in your path. The Ghost Armada will bring your skills into question along with the mystical ghost towers as it tries to foil your search for treasure. There is also a lite version of The High Seas, which is available for free.

CMPAThe Canadian Film and Television Production Association is pleased to announce it is changing its name to the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) to better reflect the multi-screen world and the future of our industry.

“Independent producers create high-quality Canadian content and are at the heart of the feature film, broadcasting and content distribution system,” says Norm Bolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, CMPA. “The global shift towards digital technology and new forms of distribution means we have to change with the times. The new name embraces the opportunities for our members to create new partnerships and expand into the international market place.”

The new name also adheres to a tradition within the organization to update itself as technology advances. Founded in 1948, the Association was originally known as the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada. In 1974, it changed its name to the Canadian Film and Television Association and then in 1990 it merged with the Association of Canadian Film and Television Producers to form the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

The Board of the CMPA has appointed Tom Cox as its new Chair to lead the rebranding. Cox is managing partner of SEVEN24 Films, based in Alberta. His career spans 25 years; creating, developing, and producing dramatic features, television series and movies which have garnered over 100 awards and nominations.

“I’m delighted to be working with such a knowledgeable staff and Board of Directors to ensure that Canadian producers remain at the centre of our national cultural community and form a strong and sustainable part of Canada’s entrepreneurial sector,” says Cox.

Tom’s recent executive producer credits include Heartland for CBC, Mayerthorpe for CTV and Burn Up for BBC and Global. His co-producer credits include Brokeback Mountain and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

“Tom not only talks the talk, he walks the walk,” says John Barrack, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer CMPA. “Tom knows independent producers must develop new business models to flourish in the creative economy. SEVEN24 and Toronto-based marblemedia have recently joined forces to create DISTRIBUTION360 (D360), a forward-thinking distribution company focused on the full monetization of television and interactive content across traditional and emerging global platforms. That’s the kind of innovation we need to bring Canada to the world.”

The CMPA also thanks outgoing Chair, Sandra Cunningham, for her valuable contribution to the Association over the past three years.

“Sandra’s wealth of experience in the feature film industry, her poise and her passion for Canadian stories made her a great leader for the Association,” says Bolen. “We wish her and her company, Strada Films, all the best in the future.”

medianetNew York company MediaNet, a provider of digital entertainment content, launched today in Canada the advanced MN Open platform which provides an API and a suite of easy to install Web Components for the digital delivery of music and eBook premium content. MediaNet operates a high volume media distribution network delivering premium content in the US for application and web developers of all sizes from niche bloggers to global brands. MediaNet also opened its doors to the MN Open platform in the UK today.

Available today in all Canadian territories customers can add digital music and eBooks to any website or application. MediaNet has fast-tracked the sign-up process to make it self-serve, quick, easy and free with no coding required. MediaNet handles the commerce including credit card processing and pricing in Canadian currency, as well as a real-time reporting portal to track performance.

Alan McGlade, CEO of MediaNet, stated: “Canada has a dynamic online community that is interested in consuming digital entertainment. MediaNet can now offer web publishers, application developers and online retailers in Canada a frictionless path to integrate a deep catalog of premium content into their products and deliver it to end users.”

MediaNet’s digital music offering in Canada consists of a robust API and a suite of Web Components. With the MN Open API, customers have complete control over the user experience, functionality, e-commerce and an 8 million-plus song and music video catalog with all services delivered under their brand. The API features include:

— Integration into any website or application
— Advanced catalog search capabilities with fuzzy matching
— Customized pricing and exclusive content
— Rich metadata including bios and reviews for songs, albums, and artists
— Use of MediaNet’s e-commerce engine or integration with the customer’s existing e-commerce
— Compatibility with any programming language
— Ability to select and incorporate the features that are just right for a customer’s end users and business model
— REST-based HTTP service

MediaNet’s Web Components for digital music are easy to install and incorporate into a website with no coding required. Customers copy and paste the code snippets anywhere on their page with their branding front and center. Available in three main categories: contextual matching; commerce and discovery, Web Components features include:

Media Matcher: Automatically matches MediaNet’s catalog to existing web content
Media Links: Hyperlinks references to artists, albums and songs within existing content on page
Relevant Media Search: Integrates into site’s existing search and returns media results alongside regular search results
Media Explorer: Bios, reviews and discographies to encourage discovery and more page views
Media Charts: Charts top selling content to entice music discovery, sampling and purchases
Media Purchase: Fulfills purchases through an automatically configured and setup component which appears in its dedicated, secure window
Media Selector: Custom build a list of up to 100 songs or albums, publish it and dynamically add it anywhere on your site with your brand intact

MediaNet offers a broad catalog of eBooks including the most popular titles available through major physical and online book sellers. Offered in the popular Adobe ePub and PDF formats, they are compatible with a wide variety of devices including PC, Mac, Sony Reader, and many others.

The eBook service is accessed through the MN Open API built on top of MediaNet’s enterprise class content delivery platform. To aid adoption and ease, a versatile and intelligent download manager simplifies the acquisition and management of eBooks for end users. As with music, MediaNet’s eBook customers will have access to a sophisticated real-time reporting portal to monitor sales activity.

McGlade added: “MediaNet is delivering the next generation of premium entertainment content services. Essentially we have become a “Content Concierge” that presents the appropriate content to an online user when they are predisposed to consuming it. MediaNet’s expansion into Canada and other territories will serve to further expand the marketplace and increase consumer acceptance.”

Customers can now sign up for the MN Open Web Components and API for free and have a premium content offering with fully customizable features up and running in no time.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 12:07 pm and is filed under Action Adventure, Associations, Business News, Casual, Digital Products, Early Childhood, Everyone 10+, Game Dev, Mature, Mobile, National News, New Releases, Rating Pending, RPG - MMORPG, Shooters, Social Media, Teen, Upcoming Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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