Video Games Live is proud to announce its return to Canada with 16 shows in Spring of 2011!

Video Games Live Creator Tommy Tallarico to Appear This Weekend at Fan Expo in Toronto!

We’ll be sending out pre-sale ticket links and passcodes to our Mailing List soon so that you’ll be able to get the best seats and best prices before anyone else.  Please make sure to sign up to our Mailing List now to take advantage of our special offers!

Here is a listing of our our Canadian dates for 2011…

April 12, 2011 Victoria, BC Royal Theatre
April 13, 2011 Vancouver, BC Centre of Performing Arts
April 14, 2011 Vancouver, BC Centre of Performing Arts
April 17, 2011 Calgary, AB Jack Singer Concert Hall
April 18, 2011 Edmonton, AB Jubilee Auditorium
April 20, 2011 Saskatoon, SK TCU Place
April 21, 2011 Regina, SK Conexus Arts Centre
April 23, 2011 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre (day)
April 23, 2011 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre (evening)
April 25, 2011 Thunder Bay, ON Community Arts Center
April 27, 2011 Kitchener, ON Centre In The Square
April 28, 2011 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place Theatre
April 29, 2011 Ottawa, ON Civic Centre Theatre
April 30, 2011 Montreal, QC Place Des Arts
May 2, 2011 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
May 3, 2011 Kingston, ON K-Rock Centre

 

Also!  If anyone is attending the FAN EXPO in Toronto this weekend, prolific video game composer, television host and Video Games Live creator Tommy Tallarico will be giving a speech about how to get into the video game industry, composing for video games and behind the scenes of Video Games Live.  He’ll also be showing never before seen exclusive footage from the upcoming Video Games Live DVD & Blu-Ray.  Come by and meet Tommy on Saturday, August 28th @ 6PM in Room 205B.  More info here:  http://www.fanexpocanada.com/genre/attraction/browse/5#attraction174

Hope to see you soon!

More info on Video Games Live…

Get ready for the 4th annual Unity developer conference! Unite 2010 will bring artists, programmers, designers, researchers, publishers, and other Unity enthusiasts from around the world together for three intense days of learning and networking.
Conference Highlights

    * Three days of hands-on technical classes
    * Keynote and road map presentations
    * One-on-one time with Unity experts
    * And as always, lots of time to get social and have fun!

Unite will be held on November 10-12, 2010 at the Marché Bonsecours in Montreal, Canada. Detailed agenda is on the way.
Ticket Pricing

$300 — Early Bird Special (until September 10, 2010)
$400 — Regular Price (after September 10, 2010)

More details on Unite3D.com…

Xbox project co-founder Ed Fries and 2D Boy’s Ron Carmel have been revealed as the two main keynote speakers for this year’s Montreal International Games Summit, set for November 8 and 9.

Fries will discuss "beauty, constraints and the Atari 2600," according to organizers; Carmel will talk steps involved in developing an independent game, and share his predictions for the current industry. Along with these two keynotes, MIGS also said that the show’s five tracks will each have their own keynotes.

First up, on the business track, Fuzbi director David Edery will discuss the lifecycle of online distribution platforms. The art track will see a keynote from Gnomon School of Design chief executive Alex Alvarez, who will discuss the role education will play in inspiring and motivating artists.

Third, on the design track, Playdom designer Scott Jon Siegel will talk measuring success in the casual games space, and why fear of innovation is unnecessary. The production keynote will be the purview of Autodesk’s Tom Wujec, who will discuss methods of addressing current visual challenges.

Lastly, Harmonix software developer Ryan Challinor will tackle the keynote on the technology track, discussing his company’s unusual approach to controller design.

Interested parties can find further info on MIGS at the event’s official website.

L’ÉTS présentera le championnat canadien des World Cyber Games (WCG) 2010 sur son campus universitaire du 3 au 5 septembre prochain, lors d’une édition spéciale du Lan ÉTS. Plus de 400 “gamers” sont attendus à cet événement où seront sélectionnés les joueurs qui représenteront le Canada lors des championnats du monde à Los Angeles.

«Le championnat des World Cyber Games constitue une vitrine formidable pour nous à l’ÉTS. Le succès du Lan ÉTS, le plus important tournoi annuel de jeux en réseaux de l’est de l’Amérique du Nord, la popularité croissante de nos programmes en génie logiciel et des TI, et la demande de plus en plus grande pour des stagiaires et diplômés dans ces domaines démontrent bien que génie et jeux vidéo vont de pair», a souligné Yves Beauchamp, directeur général de l’ÉTS.

Les WCG constituent la plus grande compétition de jeux vidéo au monde. Les meilleurs joueurs de la planète se retrouvent chaque année dans une ville différente lors de la finale mondiale pour partager l’excitation et le plaisir de la compétition. Les jeux accueillent également une conférence sur l’industrie du jeu vidéo ainsi qu’un salon d’exposants, réunissant les leaders de l’industrie.

«Nous sommes très heureux de nous associer à l’ÉTS. Plusieurs étudiants et diplômés de l’ÉTS ont d’ailleurs contribué au succès de WCG Canada au cours des dernières années, a mentionné Stephan Richard, directeur exécutif de World Cyber Games Canada. En présentant la finale canadienne à Montréal pour la 3e fois en 5 ans, nous célébrerons le 10e anniversaire des World Cyber Games dans l’un des plus importants marchés de jeux vidéo au monde. C’est ici que sont situés les studios de grands développeurs tels que Ubisoft, Warner Bros, Gameloft, Eidos et Electronic Arts.»

Cette année, les jeux officiels du championnat canadien WCG sont Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC), FIFA Soccer 2010 (PC), Guitar Hero 5 (XBOX), and Forza Motorsport (XBOX). D’autres tournois non-officiels seront également présentés dans le cadre de l’édition spéciale du Lan ÉTS, incluant Counter-Strike Source et Quake Live. Des bourses et des prix seront offerts aux gagnants.

Pour plus d’information et inscription : www.lanets.ca.

Voir aussi: WCG Canada

Sony Computer Entertainment American is hosting a networking mixer event on August 25th. Co-hosted by Export Development Canada, the event is open to all developers who register (no charge). The mixer starts at 6pm and will run until 9pm, at the Terrasses Bonsecours, in the Old Port of Montreal.

Sony’s 3rd-party PlayStation team would like the opportunity to meet local developers/studios and discuss business opportunities and technical topics.

When: Tuesday, May 11th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Kellee Santiago on prototyping
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

 

"Prototyping and Rapid Iteration for Design Goodness"

When you’re developing new game experiences, there are more unknowns than just market performance. "Flower" is known for it’s simplicity, stemming from an idea to evoke the feeling of breathing nature and the sensation of love giving…. so what took us two years?

It took the team 12 different gameplay prototypes and almost an entire year to figure out a viable solution. We learned that innovating on a completely new gaming experience often requires game makers to abandon more than what they are comfortable with, and more transparency and communication the’re used to.  In this presentation, Kellee  will walk through the team’s design and production process and show the playable prototypes that led to the final game.

From Montreal Street Fighter (via @MTLSF):

We’re throwing down SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV in style! Come on out for a night of food, money matches and tournaments at NCBA (NetChamp Battle Arena)!

Confirmed events:

• FINAL FIGHT match: Rameo (Guy) vs. Trini (Cody)
• NEW RIVALS match: Duc (Ibuki) vs. ThirtyHitCheapz (Makoto)
• NEW CHARACTERS ONLY TOURNEY

I’ll also be inaugurating the MTLSF whiteboard, a place that we’ll note unique discoveries made while grinding the shit out of this game.

Confirm on facebook!

A few more details:

Start Time: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 7:00pm

End Time: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 2:10am

Location: NetChamp Battle Arena

Street: 1822 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Montreal, QC

(Our previous coverage of MTLSF)

With seven nominations, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed leads the upcoming Canadian Video Game Awards, an event set for May 5 in Vancouver.

Taking place just prior to the Game Developers’ Conference Canada, also in Vancouver, the event will feature a performance from Video Games Live, and will be broadcast nationwide on G4 Canada.

“The lineup of finalists is a stunning collection of global blockbusters," says Electric Playground host and award show founder Victor Lucas. "These are among the biggest games in the world and they represent the best in this country’s innovation and creativity."
The Canadian game of the year will be determined by public vote, and interested parties can visit www.canadianvideogameawards.com/ for voting and further details on the event.

The full list of finalists is as follows:

Game of the Year
Assassin’s Creed II
Dawn of War II
Dragon Age: Origins
FIFA 10
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes

Best Console Game
Assassin’s Creed II
Dawn of War II
FIFA 10
NHL 10
Prototype

Best Handheld Game
Battle of Giants: Dragons
LEGO Battles
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
MySims Racing
Pandemica

Best Downloadable Game
Critter Crunch
Implode!
Osmos
Pandemica
Super Monkey Ball 2

Best Audio
Assassin’s Creed II
Dawn of War II
Dragon Age: Origins
Skate 2
WET

Best Game Design
Assassin’s Creed II
Dawn of War II
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
NHL 10
Prototype

Best Technology
Assassin’s Creed II
FIFA 10
Fight Night: Round 4
Prototype
Skate 2

Best Visual Arts
Academy of Champions
Assassin’s Creed II
Dragon Age: Origins
Fight Night: Round 4
Punch-Out!!

Best Writing
Assassin’s Creed II
Dawn of War II
Dragon Age: Origins
Prototype
WET

In-Game Cinematic
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
LEGO Battles
NBA Live 10
Prototype Web of Intrigue

Most Promising Game
Dead Rising 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
ModNation Racers
Need for Speed World
TRON: Evolution