Village Gamer

Congratulations to development studio Digital Extremes who has been named as a winner of The Ontario Business Achievement Awards Royal Bank Award for Small Business. Digital Extremes is one of a dozen Ontario companies who have been named provincial winners of The Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAA) and the Ontario Global Traders Awards (OGTA) by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

“These outstanding award winners exemplify business excellence through innovation, export diversity, entrepreneurial spirit and an understanding that the best investment is in their people,” says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “This is the award winners’ opportunity to step into the spotlight to celebrate success, not only for themselves but, for Ontario.”

Square Enix revealed today that a new premium-quality action figure based on the central character from the Eidos Montreal game Deus Ex: Human Revolution™, Adam Jensen will be the latest addition to the Play Arts® -KAI- series, and will feature newly-augmented Adam Jensen and even more.

“The Square Enix Merchandise Division is dedicated to creating collectible action figures that combine high production value and excellent articulation,” said Kanji Tashiro, Merchandise Director of Square Enix, Inc. “The DEUS EX series has captivated fans across the globe since the first game was released, and we are thrilled and pleased to be making action figures for its latest entry. The game’s truly unique style and visually striking technology provides us with a perfect opportunity to do what we do best: craft a high-quality product that brings to life a vibrant universe.”

For those on the career hunt, Eidos Montreal has several positions open, including that for a Brand Manager.

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises have launched The Price Is Right HD for iPad® on the App Store. Now iPad users can “COME ON DOWN!” to an unparalleled The Price Is Right experience, enhanced with stunning new HD graphics and incorporating Multi-Touch game play. Incorporating all the familiar elements of the beloved TV game show, The Price Is Right HD for iPad puts players in Contestant’s Row to bid on items in order to earn a shot at playing popular pricing games, try their luck at spinning The Big Wheel, and experience the winner-takes-all tension of the Showcase.

“The Price Is Right is one of Ludia’s most successful titles across platforms, and we are thrilled to now bring it to iPad owners in HD,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “Game show fans can now enjoy immersive and engaging The Price Is Right fun anywhere, thanks to the iPad’s advanced capabilities.”

The Price Is Right HD features:

* Eye-popping HD graphics designed and optimized for the iPad.
* Two game modes: single player and multiplayer.
* Favorite pricing games to play including Plinko, Cliff Hangers, Punch-a-Bunch & many more.
* Authentic stages, Big Wheel, and other game elements combine with familiar music and Rich Fields as announcer to create a true-to-show experience.
* Customizable 3D player avatars: choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
* Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.

Astral Media Inc. has launched a campaign that celebrates its contributions to Canadian culture. The two TV messages were conceived by Bos and depict what the film, television and music industries would look like without such crucial financing. Both situations use humor to offset an otherwise very serious issue.

The campaign premiered last week at the opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival, which Astral is a proud sponsor. One of the two trailers was showcased during the Opening Night Gala Presentation of Score: A Hockey Musical, one of 19 Astral supported Canadian Films selected for the 2010 Festival. Other movies include gala presentations of Barney’s Version, A Beginners Guide to Endings, and the Bang Bang Club; and a special presentation of Trigger. Both messages are now airing on Astral’s pay-television and specialty services.

For over 25 years now, Astral has played a leading role in providing private funding for Canadian culture. This dedication to the vitality of our communities and to the arts industry has allowed for ambitious television and film projects to see the light of day, and for now popular musical notes to take flight. Every year, through its pay and specialty TV channels, radio stations and The Harold Greenberg Fund, Astral invests over $170 million in Canadian culture.

“We are fortunate to live in a dynamic, inclusive and creative culture. This unique point of view needs to be nourished and celebrated. We take much pride in the fact that Astral’s investments help great projects come to life, contribute to a creative product of quality, and support the talented artists and artisans behind these projects,” said Derev Antikacioglu, Corporate Marketing Director at Astral.

Astral continues to be the country’s largest private investor in Canadian feature film, funding the development and production of homegrown film and television projects. In the world of music, Astral has worked closely with partners to develop and launch over 20 projects to support Canadian singers, songwriters and performers.

Canadian publisher Wicked Interactive has announced that after an explosively successful closed beta, which Beta Gratis awarded an 8/10 for its gameplay, the free-to-play, online first-person shooter Mission Against Terror (M.A.T.) begins open beta on Sunday, September 19 at 3:00pm EDT sharp.

The open beta, hosted by Wicked Interactive’s SUBA Games platform, will allow gamers to be the first in North America to experience this exciting new title, which has been updated and enhanced thanks to the helpful input of everyone who participated in the closed beta, which ends this week.

“We have been working with Wicked Interactive from the beginning on M.A.T. Their team and dedication to make this game competitive is top-notch,” said Stephen Tucker, CEO, World Online Gaming League (WOGL). “The game has been well-received by our community. We look forward to moving into competition with M.A.T as we turn the corner to open beta.”

“The M.A.T. closed beta community did a wonderful job,” added Sam Ho, Director of Wicked Interactive. “For gamers that did not get a beta key, the wait is finally over! We welcome all gamers out there to join us in enjoying the new modes, new maps and other goodies we’ve added.” Read the rest of this entry »

No, this news isn’t remotely Canadian, but I feel that educators, studios, associations and our government should take note, because Canada needs a programme just like this one, and I believe the initiatives behind the American STEM Challenge closely mirror those currently being investigated through the Canada 3.0 Forum, Canada’s Digital Economy and Teaching with Technology. There have been several weeks’ worth of talk shows about the state of the Canadian educational system on Vancouver’s talk radio station CKNW, and a programme such as the STEM Challenge is but one creative way of trying to improve what and how our children are taught. There are many, many worthy programmes in Canada dedicated to making education not only fun and relevant, but also to keeping up with technology; here is a way to unite all of these initiatives in ways that would not only benefit our children, but our economic future, and I feel this is worth further investigation.

President Obama announced today the launch of the National STEM Video Game Challenge at a White House event as part of the national “Educate to Innovate” campaign. The Challenge aims to motivate interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games. The first annual competition is being held by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media in partnership with sponsors AMD Foundation, Entertainment Software Association and Microsoft. Founding outreach partners include the American Library Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, The International Game Developers Association and BrainPOP.

“Our success as a nation depends on strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of discovery and innovation,” said President Obama. “I applaud partners in the National STEM Video Game Challenge for lending their resources, expertise, and their enthusiasm to the task of strengthening America’s leadership in the 21st century by improving education in science, technology, engineering and math.”

The National STEM Video Game Challenge features two competitions:

* The Youth Prize aims to engage middle school students (grades 5 through 8) in STEM learning by challenging them to design original video games. The Challenge will be open to students from any U.S. school with a special emphasis on reaching students in underserved urban and rural communities. The total prize pool will be $50,000. The winners will receive AMD-based laptops, game design books, and other tools to support their skill development. Cash prizes and educational software will also be awarded to the winning students’ sponsoring organization with additional prize money for underserved communities.

* The Developer Prize challenges emerging and experienced game developers to design original games for young children (grades pre-K through 4) that teach key STEM concepts and foster an interest in STEM subject areas. The Challenge will feature a special prize for developers actively enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in the U.S. Special emphasis will be placed on technologies that have high potential to reach underserved communities, such as games built for basic mobile phones that address urgent educational needs among at-risk youth. Developers will be competing for a grand prize of $50,000. Two prizes of $25,000 each will be awarded to the top entry submitted on the collegiate level, as well as the top entry for reaching underserved communities.

The National STEM Video Game Challenge will accept entries from October 12, 2010 through January 5, 2011. Complete guidelines and details on how to enter are available at www.cooneycenterprizes.org and at www.stemchallenge.org/youthprize.

“Children of all ages are immersed in technology—today’s kids spend as much time with digital media as they do in school. With the need to make learning both more engaging and productive we need some real game changers,” said Michael Levine, executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. “The National STEM Video Game Challenge will encourage entrepreneurs and students to develop bold designs to promote academic excellence. The Cooney Center and E Line Media are delighted that national leaders in policy, practice and philanthropy are investing in video games’ potential to help change the equation.”

”Video games are improving and advancing the way Americans are living, working and playing,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the ESA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The acknowledgement and appreciation of President Obama, our partners in this campaign and leading child advocates, is a strong endorsement of the amazing potential and benefit that games can have on children.”

“Video game development is an exceptional learning experience for youth because it’s rooted in something they are already passionate about and allows learning to happen naturally,” said Allyson Peerman, corporate vice president of AMD Public Affairs and president, AMD Foundation. “AMD is proud to participate in the inaugural National STEM Video Game competition. The contest aligns with AMD’s signature education initiative, AMD Changing the Game, a program that encourages teens to learn valuable STEM skills and become more globally conscious citizens by developing games with social content.”

Game-based learning has emerged as one of the most promising areas of innovation in making critical STEM skills more engaging for America’s youth. Research has demonstrated that playing and making video games fosters the development of critical thinking and design skills, problem-solving and builds motivation for pursuing STEM related subjects and careers. The competition responds to major national educational challenges including inadequate skill levels in the workplace and an ever-widening achievement gap between the U.S. and other developed nations, especially in STEM skills.

Vancouver’s Layer 7 Technologies, a leader in security and governance for cloud and SOA services, will showcase its industry-first Oracle Service Bus (OSB) Appliance and new CloudSpan™ product suite at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco on September 20-22. Layer 7 will be a featured guest in premier sponsor CSC’s pavilion, located at 1101 Moscone South.

Show attendees can participate in a showcase of the OSB appliance and view how it extends the Oracle Service Bus into the DMZ, and see how the CloudSpan solution simplifies integration to the cloud, secures applications in the cloud and governs the publication of APIs from the cloud. Read the rest of this entry »

Somewhat overshadowed by the recent Capcom – Blue Castle Games announcement was the news that Seattle-based RealNetworks®, Inc. has acquired Victoria, BC social games company Backstage Technologies Inc. RealNetworks feels that the acquisition of Backstage will add valuable expertise in both engineering and monetizing games for social platforms to GameHouse®, Real’s digital games division. Backstage is best known for partnering with iWin on the popular Facebook adaptation of FremantleMedia’s hit TV game show Family Feud™.

“As we transform RealNetworks, we will focus on areas with strong revenue growth and profit potential that will realize the value of our core businesses,” said Bob Kimball, CEO of RealNetworks. “The most compelling growth opportunity in games today is social games, and this acquisition is part of our commitment to make our entire GameHouse business social.”

Earlier this year, GameHouse announced GameHouse Fusion™, the first social gaming platform to make all games social and give consumers access to thousands of socially connected games within a massive worldwide casual gaming community across multiple social websites and devices. As a part of GameHouse, Backstage will leverage the platform’s capabilities and contribute to several of the key technological components of the system. GameHouse Fusion currently powers their smartphone game titles like MarbleMixer, along with Facebook games including UNO™, Scrabble®, TextTwist® and Collapse!®. The addition of the Backstage games portfolio extends GameHouse’s presence as a top social games developer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) have announced that Press Your Luck HD for iPad is now available for $4.99 in the App Store. The game brings an unparalleled Press Your Luck experience to iPad owners, enhanced with stunning new HD graphics and incorporating Multi-Touch game play.

In Press Your Luck HD, players assume the role of one of the three contestants competing to win by answering a series of trivia questions correctly, to earn “spins” on the Big Board of cash and prizes. Whichever player ends the game with the highest earnings wins, while successfully avoiding the dreaded ‘Whammy’ or risking the loss of all winnings.

“Ludia is thrilled to expand our iPad offering on the App Store with another classic game show in HD, starring the famously mischievous Whammy character,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “Press Your Luck HD brings all the humor and family entertainment of the TV show straight to the screens of iPad owners across North America.”

Press Your Luck HD features:

* Two game modes: single player and multiplayer.
* Hundreds of trivia questions and game play punctuated by dozens of hilarious ‘Whammy’ animations.
* Authentic graphics, stages, Big Board, and other game elements combined with familiar music and sound effects to create a true-to-show game experience.
* Customizable 3D player avatars: choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
* Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.

“We are pleased that the millions of Press Your Luck television game show fans will now be able to enjoy their very own Press Your Luck HD game experience, thanks to thrilling devices like the iPad,” added Olivier Delfosse, Director of Interactive for program licensor FME. “

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that a fully playable demo of EA Sports™ FIFA Soccer 11 is available to download beginning today for the PlayStation®3, for the Xbox 360® Xbox Live Gold Members from Xbox Live Marketplace and for PC. Xbox Live Silver Members will have access to the demo beginning September 23.

Play as Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen and Olympique Lyonnais and experience how FIFA Soccer 11 reinvents player authenticity–on and off the ball–with all-new Personality+. Individual abilities are now reflected in-game, allowing clear differentiation for every player on the pitch. Plus, experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from lateral jostling to full 360° collisions and new Pro Passing, where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. The FIFA Soccer 11 demo features an exhibition match with 3 minute halves in Real Madrid’s home stadium, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and users will be able to upload created in-game videos to EA SPORTS Football World. Fans who go to Facebook® to play EA SPORTS FIFA Superstars and complete achievements will receive exclusive access to Arsenal and Emirates Stadium to play in the FIFA Soccer 11 demo.

EA SPORTS today also unveiled its global lineup of international stars that will adorn FIFA Soccer 11 packaging and be integrated into marketing and advertising campaigns around the world. FIFA Soccer 11 will be localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. Led by the 28-year-old Brazilian, Kaka, the 17 global superstars hail from 15 countries, represent 14 different teams and play in 9 international leagues, an ideal match for the World’s best-selling* sports videogame. With 2 FIFA World Cup™ titles, 5 Champions League titles, 32 national championships and 1 European title, EA SPORTS presents the strongest team of cover athletes it has ever assembled for its FIFA Soccer franchise.

“It is a great honor to unite so many exceptional players on the FIFA Soccer 11 team of cover athletes,” said Matt Bilbey, Vice President of Soccer, EA SPORTS. “This mix of superstars from all over the world, each with their own unique style and passion for the game, and their different kind of amazing playing styles perfectly represents what FIFA Soccer 11 stands for – a true authentic and global game of unprecedented quality.”

Capcom and Blue Castle Games have made two big announcements at the Tokyo Game Show. The biggest news of course was the formal acquisition of Blue Castle Games by Capcom, with the studio becoming Capcom Games Studio Vancouver. Speaking at Capcom’s TGS press conference, Blue Castle president Rob Barrett stated that “We’re really honoured that Inafune sees such potential in us, and we take this responsibility very seriously.”

Also announced at the press conference was the next downloadable content expansion for the Dead Rising franchise. Complimenting Dead Rising 2™: Case Zero, Dead Rising 2: Case West will extend the Dead Rising 2 experience by delivering brand new content and the return of a familiar face. Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment system following the release of Dead Rising 2™, Dead Rising 2: Case West will see Frank West team up with Chuck Greene for some serious co-op action. In co-op mode, Xbox LIVE®Gold members will see the two protagonists delve deeper into the reasons behind the Fortune City outbreak and provide further links to the Willamette incident.

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The original vampire who gave us a reason to fear the dark is coming to Apple®iPad™ as a whole new, frightfully interactive experience! PadWorx Digital Media, Inc., an independent developer of a new category of interactive eBooks for tablet PCs, announced today it will release Bram Stoker’s Dracula on the App Store® in time for this Halloween. Dracula will be the first eBook title for the Apple iPad built from the ground up on PadWorx Digital Media’s proprietary game engine, giving readers the chance to experience a new level of entertainment through the combination of text, animation, gameplay, touch screen interaction, social media, original soundtrack and music, sound effects and more.

“Our new interactive version of Dracula is unlike anything I’ve ever seen on the iPad,” said Jeffery Alan Schechter, director and producer at PadWorx Digital Media, Inc. “From fans of the original classic tale, to the blood and romance fans of the Twilight books and movies, to tech savvy enthusiasts, there are plenty of elements to keep everyone reading for hours. We’ve created original illustrations, animation, sounds and touch screen elements that work together with the text on each page, drawing readers in and allowing them to uncover a new tale worth telling.”

Dracula for the Apple iPad puts a new twist on the classic novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. The interactive eBook features 300 pages of text, animation, gameplay, and touch screen technology that creates the definitive interactive, user-driven experience. From lighting up the words of the page with a lantern, unsealing the mysteries of letters and journal entries, blowing the leaves off of tombstones to reveal the writing beneath, and even using their own “blood” to reveal hidden text on a page, readers will bring Dracula to life page after enthralling page.

Beyond text and animation, PadWorx Digital Media’s Dracula will break new ground in the world of eBooks by featuring both an original soundtrack as well as eighteen songs from the indie rock performers and bands Adaline, Eve and the Ocean, Ingela, Nadia, and Emily Spiller. Each song will set the tone for a different chapter from the book, creating a whole new way of experiencing this classic story. The Dracula soundtrack will also be available for separate purchase on the iTunes Store®. Pricing for the eBook and for the separate soundtrack will be announced at a later date.

People have watched Gary Brolsma lip-sync and dance in his world-famous “Numa Numa” video more than a billion times since it was first posted to the Internet in 2004. But, how do you think he would do in a game of Trivial Pursuit? The star of the video is joining a cast of YouTube stars for an online Trivial Pursuit challenge to find out if the stars of YouTube, the world’s largest online video community, can outsmart, well, everyone else.

YouTube Trivial Pursuit began on September 8th, and players are invited to participate in the Trivial Pursuit You vs. YouTube challenge to determine who’s the better bet – YOU, the people’s team, or the stars of YouTube. For the first time ever, visitors to the world’s number one video sharing site can play an interactive game with the celebrities of YouTube to try their hand at the new betting game play of the brand new Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It game.

Just like in the new board game, players don’t need to know the answers to win – what counts is if they bet correctly on whether or not their opponent will answer the question correctly. In the online game, players are first asked to answer three questions to earn chips. Then, they bet their chips on whether or not the YouTube star will answer the next question correctly. If players bet wisely – regardless of whether or not the star answer is correct – the points go to the global collective. If not, the points go to YouTube.

Joining Brolsma are more than a dozen YouTube sensations, including Harry and Charlie Davies-Carr of “Charlie Bit My Finger” fame (currently the No.3 most viewed video ever on YouTube), Michael Buckley from the “What the Buck?” show (currently the No.13 most subscribed to channel ever on YouTube) and Tay Zonday, best known for his original work, “Chocolate Rain,” which has had more than 55 million views since it was first posted. Everyone has an inner genius when they play Trivial Pursuit. Find out which of the YouTube stars is a car expert, who is the life-long Trivial Pursuit player and who has a degree in Psychology.

“You vs. YouTube is an incredibly exciting innovation for Trivial Pursuit,” said Jane Ritson-Parsons, Global Brand Leader for Trivial Pursuit. “We’re excited that people can try the new Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It game online by betting on YouTube stars.”

Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It Edition brings high stakes betting to trivia, giving each player a stake in their friend’s every turn. As ever, answer one of 1,800 fresh trivia questions to win a wedge, or if you’d rather, use chips acquired throughout your game to purchase a wedge for that elusive category that has you stumped. On your friends’ turns bet on the likelihood of them getting their question right or wrong. A correct bet will earn you more chips!

Questions in Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It Edition include contemporary topics such as Supermodels, Hot Dogs, Horror Movies, and Heavy Metal, in a variety of new formats like multiple choice and image-based questions to make each turn a unique experience. Play and discover your inner genius in a game where knowing your friends is just as valuable as knowing the trivia.

Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It Edition is recommended for two or more adults and is available at mass merchandise retailers for a suggested retail price of $29.99.

TransGaming, Inc. has unveiled a completely redesigned and innovative GameTreeTV user experience at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. Scheduled to be commercially deployed this fall to European television audiences, the GameTreeTV Platform delivers a comprehensive on-demand video game experience for consumers that is optimized for HD TV through the next generation of set-top boxes and connected consumer electronic (CE) devices based on Intel® CE Media Processors.

The GameTreeTV user experience brings an interactive and intuitive design to digital home gaming, allowing consumers to easily browse through a comprehensive catalog of content to quickly access their favorite games with ease. The design offers game developers a dynamic and visibly compelling user interface where their games can be promoted, showcased and searched easily by consumers. Each game profile in the catalog leverages a variety of video trailers, screenshots and descriptive game content, plus the Platform provides a multi-lingual localized game play experience for consumers around the world.

The release of this new interactive user experience coupled with the extensive game catalog and innovative payment models for consumers, positions GameTreeTV as the premier on-demand gaming platform for all Intel® CE Media Processor based devices. In addition, the recent launch of the GameTreeTV Authorized Developer Program now provides the rapidly growing interactive App-TV marketplace with both a rich third party game development community and a compelling gaming platform experience.

“We’ve designed what I believe to be an exceptionally innovative user experience that aligns to the high quality entertainment and interactive nature of video games. The GameTreeTV user experience is representative of the next generation of interactive platforms that consumers expect, delivering an immersive and enriching game play experience”, commented Blake Lewin, President of TransGaming Digital Home. “Our entire strategy in the design of the user interface is to deliver an interactive and engaging experience that resonates with both the caliber of our content and with the global consumer market. We believe we’ve accomplished this with great success.”

The GameTreeTV Platform will be delivered to consumers through an array of distribution vehicles such as Managed Service Operators (MSO), global OEMs (connected consumer electronics), and related digital media solutions providers. The GameTreeTV Platform will be launching this fall in select European markets and then scaling quickly through 2011 globally.

“Cable providers want to offer new services and entertainment options to their subscribers, and we believe casual gaming will be an integral part of an immersive next generation experience”, said Bob Ferreira, General Manager, Cable Segment, Intel Digital Home Group. “The GameTreeTV Platform offers a rich portfolio of video games, while set top boxes based on Intel® CE media processors provide the performance for an enjoyable user experience. TransGaming provides both rich technology and a flexible business model to fit the requirements of the cable industry.”

The full GameTreeTV experience is being showcased in the SmartTV pavilion at the Intel Developer Forum this week. GameTreeTV is launching later this fall in Europe with some of the industry’s most respected video game developers, including PopCap Games, Paramount, Sandlot Games, 2D Boy, Her Interactive, Playrix, Blitz Games and more. Combined, these developers bring hundreds of games to the global catalog that consumers will enjoy through GameTreeTV.

Cable operators, Managed Service Operators (MSOs), and CE manufacturers globally are embracing Intel’s new CE media processors and are ushering in a new generation of broadband-based interactive offerings for their digital home consumers. TransGaming is working closely with companies around the world to ensure the revolutionary gaming experience provided by GameTreeTV is available to a global consumer television audience.