Village Gamer

Montreal – Audiokinetic® and Emergent™ have teamed up to provide the video game industry’s only cross-platform, multi-genre development system that fully addresses the audio needs of programmers, game designers, artists and sound designers by including Wwise right out of the box with every Gamebryo® LightSpeed™ license. The flexibility of LightSpeed’s core technology allows the art of game development to easily evolve across every function of development.

Audiokinetic’s Wwise offers audio programmers and sound designers a complete audio authoring tool with a powerful sound engine, greatly improving workflow while pushing the limits of sound design. Coupled with LightSpeed, Wwise allows developers to audit, profile, and modify sounds in real-time within the current build of the game. This new bundle further simplifies workflow by allowing designers and artists to generate and iterate on any type of asset during all phases of development without recompiling. Content creation is sped up and programmers are free to devote their efforts to game?specific tech for new kinds of gameplay instead of adding and tweaking game content.
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Format: Wii™
Launch Date: May 18, 2009
ESRB: E 10+ – Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Game Type: Action
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Official Site: PunchOut!!

Vancouver – One of the biggest names in boxing returns after a 15-year hiatus. Grab a Wii Remote™ controller in one hand and a Nunchuk™ controller in the other and step back into the ring with a modern update of the classic Punch-Out!! developed by Next Level Games.

• Little Mac is back! Everyone’s favorite underdog from the 1980s joins the best of the original Punch-Out!! cast in a modern re-imagination of the series. Players will find familiar names like Glass Joe, King Hippo and trainer Doc Louis. These boxers come to life again in cell-shaded 3-D, complete with hilarious fighting animations and back stories that capture all the fun and flair of the original Punch-Out!! games.
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Vancouver – In my opinion, I feel that the inaugural year for Vancouver Digital Week was a week filled with opportunities – not just for networking, but also for learning and promoting our Canadian industry. With such events as the International Partnering Forum, GDC Canada, FuturePlay, Game Career Seminar, nextMedia Vancouver, MITACS, Digital Kung Fu and Convergence there was something for everyone, no matter what level they are at in the digital media industry.

Expo Floor

While I was not able to attend all events, reports from those who attended the International Partnering Forum say that it was very successful, with over 35 countries represented through delegate parties. Many countries are interested in not only doing business with Canadian digital media companies, but also in locating business enterprises in Canada. I believe that such interest speaks highly of the quality of our talent and our global reputation in the technological industry fields.

Dave & Kelly

GDC Canada presented an abundance of relevant topics on its four seminar tracks in Concept/PreProduction, Production, Finalling and Post Launch/Analysis. As always, the keynote addresses were well presented and entertaining as well as informative. While many of us may have had the opportunity to hear Don Mattrick (Microsoft), Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka (Bioware) present seminars before, they always have something new and fresh to present on a variety of topics and perspectives. While a few people may have felt that it would’ve been a better choice to bring in industry notables from other countries, giving an opportunity to many who might not otherwise have the chance to attend a live seminar from those other notables, I feel that two full-house keynotes showed that we can still learn from our own industry pioneers and that we still appreciate the paths they have walked and the achievements they have obtained throughout their careers.
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Vancouver – Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director of the Masters of Digital Media Program and CEO of the Centre for Digital Media, together with Dr. Yosef Wosk, Director of Interdisciplinary Programs in Continuing Studies at Simon Fraser University announced today the Dianne Sinclair Memorial Fellowship Fund, to be offered to the most outstanding female student entering the Masters of Digital Media (MDM) Program each year based on the student’s academic performance and portfolio assessment. The application deadline for the MDM Program is June 30, 2009.

Dr. Yosef Wosk+

The Dianne Sinclair Memorial Fellowship Fund was established by Dr. Yosef Wosk, a supporter of digital media and the Masters of Digital Media Program, a member of the Order of British Columbia and an Honorary Doctor of Letters (Litt.D.) from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. “I wanted to provide financial support for a truly outstanding female student entering the Masters of Digital Media Program in honour of my high regard for MDM’s Executive Director, Dr. Gerri Sinclair and her mother, Dianne,” said Dr. Wosk. “The fund is named in the memory of Dianne Sinclair who believed passionately in the importance of a graduate school education for women.”
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Montreal – Activision Publishing, Inc. has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen video game, including the film’s leads Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, who will reprise their starring roles in the game, and fan favorites Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the voices of OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON from the original animated series. In the new game, developed under license from Hasbro with Montreal’s Beenox Studio developing the Windows PC version, players are thrust into an adrenaline-pumping battle to defend Earth from a DECEPTICON attack that threatens mankind.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen features an extensive line-up of film actors, along with the voice talent that fans will recognize from the classic animated series,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The diverse cast allowed us to not only capture the epic storyline from the film, but also seamlessly expand the fiction to create a unique and authentic TRANSFORMERS experience that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

In addition to Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Mark Ryan (Bumblebee), Jess Harnell (Ironhide), Charles Adler (Starscream) and Robert Foxworth (Ratchet) reprised their film roles for the game. Voice-over veterans John Di Maggio (Sideways) and James Arnold Taylor (The Fallen) also join the roster.
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Toronto – OrderDynamics Corporation has observed that many online merchants are struggling with short eCommerce software replatforming timelines as peak shopping periods approach rapidly. Contributing to the tight timelines are delayed budget decisions and managers expecting more from their marketing team with a lot less.

OrderDynamics has designed its new eStore implementation process to reduce time to launch a new Client and is averaging a 15 week schedule from signature to soft launch.
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Montréal – Ubisoft® has announced that it will launch a new title in the Might & Magic universe. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, a puzzle RPG, was developed by Toronto’s Capybara Games, creators of award-winning handheld and mobile games, specifically for Nintendo DS™ for release in August 2009.

In this game, through five unique and epic quests, players will alternate exploration and turn-based puzzle battles to save the world of Ashan from demonic chaos. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes also adopts a brand new manga-style art design that is perfectly suited to Nintendo DS. In a world populated by knights, elves, wizards, necromancers and demons, gamers can manage their own hero, customize their army and lead campaigns in the mythic Might & Magic world.

“Our fans have always appreciated the depth and richness of the Might & Magic universe,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, senior producer at Ubisoft. “The teams at Ubisoft and Capybara were inspired to extend that universe in a unique way onto DS, creating an engaging new game experience.”

Created for Might & Magic fans while also attracting new audiences, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes can be played in solo mode or shared with a friend in two-player peer-versus-peer mode.

Vancouver – Take command of your armies and unleash the fury of the dragons upon your rivals. Seize land and resources in order to grow your empire. Only one Dragon Lord can survive. Do you have what it takes to reign supreme?

A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games is pleased to announce the release of their latest iPhone title, War of the Dragon Lords, which is available in the App Store for a limited time at the introductory price of 99 cents.

War of the Dragon Lords features classic turn based combat, allowing players to seize territory and claim reinforcements while unleashing horrific destruction with a single command to your dragon force. Up to eight opponents can compete in a world full of random maps – but don’t expect to complete the maps any time soon, as there are over four billion possible scenarios to compete in. Players may also choose to take on the game’s AI instead of playing in multiplayer mode.

War of the Dragon Lords is compatible with both the iPhone and iPod Touch, but does require the iPhone 2.2.1 software update.

Banff – “The Banff World Television Awards have long been recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in the industry celebrating outstanding television programs by international TV creators,” comments Peter Vamos, BANFF Executive Director. “The 2009 nominees for the Entertainment and Documentary ‘Rockies’ are once again outstanding.”

Canwest presents the Banff World Television Awards. ‘E! News Weekend’s’ Arisa Cox will host the Categories’ Awards on Sunday, June 7. ‘ET Canada’s’ Rick Campanelli will host the Grand Prize Awards honouring ‘Best of the Best in Banff’ on Monday June 8.

The Interactive Awards will be handed out during BANFF’s sister conference, nextMEDIA, on Saturday, June 6, 2009. All ceremonies will be held at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada

New additions to this year’s Rockies include the now expanded Sports program categories separated into two categories – Sports Documentaries and Sport Entertainment Programs. A complete list of nominees for the Entertainment and Documentary categories for the 2009 Banff World Television Awards follows below.
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Calgary – Digital Alberta is asking for interested parties to create a design concept to be used in a Poster Advertisement for the February 2010 Media Fresh Awards. Design must be suitable for other media such as invitations, promotional mailers, direct mail, static displays, newspaper/magazine advertising, website and print catalogue of which will include mediaFRESH’10’s finalists work and contact information.

Target Audience
Professionals, artists who work with digital media and students (both post-secondary and grades 9-12 with an interest in New Media).

Communication Objectives
• Create a venue that highlights achievements and excellence in design by digital media professionals and students
• Increase awareness of mediaFRESH Digital Alberta Awards being hosted in Calgary at Mount Royal College on February 26, 2010
• Encourage participation in this event and in Alberta’s Digital media industry in general
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