London Games Company Awarded “Most Innovative Online Game Award”

Antic Entertainment, a London-based company, announced that their title “Junk: Battles” was awarded the “most Innovative Online Game” award at the Canadian New Media Award Ceremony.

Junk: Battles is a free-to-play, fast paced real-time action-strategy game available on all major web browsers.  Check it out at www.junkbattles.com

Antic Entertainment is a fine example of the DIG work that is happening in London.  Founded in 2008 by Fredrik Liljegran (CEO), Mark Mikulec (CTO) and Jeff Evans (CCO), the team harnesses over 40 years of experience in the industry to design AAA quality and new innovation to free-to-play games.  Their goal is to design, develop  and publish interactive casual games for the hardcore player. You can learn more about Antic Entertainment and their other titles at www.anticentertainment.com

GAMES DAY Podcast- Broadcasting Live from DIG London TOMORROW!

As mentioned in a previous blog, GAMES DAY Podcast is a gaming podcast giving viewers gaming news, reviews and discussing anything and everything in the gaming world.

The will be doing a live taping tomorrow (Nov. 3rd) at 8:30 PM from the DIG London Conference’s Game Zone. Anyone and everyone is invited to attend the live show! It is an excellent opportunity to interact with this great gaming podcast.

So please join us tomorrow night for a can’t miss event! Check out the Facebook Event for more details!

NextGen Player – Canada’s Premier Gaming Blog

If you haven’t checked out NextGen Player, now is the time because this industry blog will be at DIG London.  As one of Canada’s top gaming blogs, NextGen Player is dedicated to informing viewers about the newest game releases, game reviews, and hot industry buzz. The site began in April 2008; managing partners Paul Hunter’s and Andrew Shin’s vision was to create a website devoted to sharing exciting Canadian-centric gaming news with the rest of the world.

From their website:

“Each month tens of thousands of gamers across the globe visit NextGen Player for the hottest Canadian gaming stories. Our site features coverage of breaking Canadian video game news, coverage of live Canadian gaming events, video game previews & reviews, highlights of Canadian game promotions and retail sales, as well as coverage of Canadian game sales data & research.

NextGen Player is a site focused on bringing together gamers and fostering a community that is active and engaging. Our coverage focuses first and foremost on Canadian gaming culture with broad appeal to both the hardcore and the casual gamer.”

Check out NextGen Player Today!

DIG Top Ten you don’t want to miss!

Calling all artists, animators, programmers, designers, developers, communicators, digital media fanatics, technophiles, technologists, gamers, and the curious – You don’t want to miss DIG London 2009.

Connect with Canada’s leading video game developers, publishers, technology companies and service providers at DIG London 2009.

Top 10 things you don’t want to miss

1)  One-to-One networking opportunities through DIG’s Partnering Program.

2) Ubisoft’s Yannis Mallat Keynote Address.

3) Open Forum discussion with James Schmalz of Digital Extremes and Denis Dyack of Silicon Knights.

4) Game Design Post-Mortem with Big Blue Bubble.

5) Interactive GameZone with intertnational best-sellers including games by DIG London companies.

6) Explosive viral marketing opportunities withthe presence of NEXTGEN Player,  the GAMES DAY Podcast, GamingUnion.net, and Backbone Magazine.

7) Keynote address by digital media and videogame TV pioneer Victor Lucas.

8 ) Forecast of economic trends and demographics for the gaming industry.

9) Industry Trade-show featuring sponsors, partners, service providers and more!

10) Industry DIG 2009 VIP Party – for full conference delegates, sponsors, and speaker!

Don’t miss this opportunity to network, learn about emerging trends, explore industry issues, and connect with opportunities at DIG London 2009.

Click here to learn more and register today to take advantage of the business-2-business partnering opportunities and the DIG London 2009 Program.

Ubisoft CEO Yannis Mallat to speak at DIG London!

DIG London is proud to announce that Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto CEO Yannia Mallat will be at DIG London!

Graduating with honours from the French High School of Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Yannis Mallat worked in humanitarian aid in West Africa for three years before pursuing his graduate studies in Paris, where he earned a Master’s Degree in International Agronomy and Economic Development.  He then returned to Africa where he worked for an NGO on a variety of rural development projects.

Upon his arrival in Canada, Yannis Mallat achieved an MBA at the Montreal HEC before joining Ubisoft in January 2000 where he successively held the positions of Third Party Producer, Producer, and Executive Producer – New IP’s, all paving the way for his current position.

Yannis Mallat has been CEO of Ubisoft Montreal since March 2006, and is still very much involved in the production of every game developed at the studio.

For Yannis, the key to success stems from the creation of passionate teams and in the capacity to capture the energy and magic that surrounds game development. His driving goal is to deliver emotionally engaging gaming experiences that exploit the interactive nature of the medium to its fullest.

In July 2006, the Official PlayStation Magazine (US edition) named Yannis Mallat as one of the 20 most influential personalities of the international video game industry. Ubisoft Montréal is currently ranked third best game development studio in the world as per the Top 50 Developers ranking published by Game Developers Magazine (no. 1 gaming publication).

Yannis Mallat has worked on an extensive list of titles, including Assassins’ Creed, the multi-million selling trilogy of the Sands of Time (Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, Prince of Persia Warrior Within, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time) as well as Rayman Advance.

Momentum Building for London’s DIG Industry

Artists, programmers, designers, communicators, digital media fanatics, service providers, bloggers, technologists, gamers, and the curious are encouraged to participate in DIG London 2009.

Contributing over 10billion to the North American economy annually, the Digital Interactive Gaming industry is broadening its reach and strengthening its position in the marketplace by involving new demographics and introducing innovative applications of game technology.

The Digital Interactive Gaming industry is poised for tremendous growth – Ubisoft Executive Yves Guillemot believes that the industry will grow 50% over the next four years.  Is London and Ontario ready to take advantage of this opportunity? Home to several game-design and digital media companies including Big Blue Bubble, Digital Extremes, and Antic Entertainment, with access to talent from Western, Fanshawe, and tirOS College, London is stepping up its game with DIG London 2009.

The second annual Digital Interactive Gaming London conference, November 3^rd and 4^th, is brining game designer, programmers, artists, producers, and service providers from across North America to London to network, learn about emerging trends, explore industry issues, and connect with new opportunities.

The DIG industry is strengthening our local economy and adding significant growth throughout North America.  For the four-year period of 2002-06 direct employment for the industry grew at an annual rate of 4.4%. With Ubisoft’s recent investment in a Toronto office, there is no sign of this industry slowing down – rather, it keeps opening doors for new innovations in gaming design, digital media, and technology!

Check out our line-up of speakers, panels, and presentations and join us for this momentum building event. Follow us on Twitter for program and industry updates: www.Twitter.com/DIGLondon

Victor Lucas Announced as Dinner Keynote for DIG London!

Big DIG London News!

Victor Lucas, who is the creator, executive producer and co-host of “The Electric Playground” and “Reviews on the Run” will be the special keynote speaker for the DIG London Conference during the dinner on Nov 3rd.

Victor Lucas is a videogame television pioneer. His first original TV series, “The Electric Playground,” hit the airwaves in 1997 and is now a daily TV series seen coast to coast in Canada and online at Elecplay.com.

Victor is also the creator and executive producer of one of the world’s first High Definition videogame TV series, “The Art of Play” for Gameplay HD and the creator and Emmy-winning executive producer and host of, “GameTap News,” for Turner’s GameTap network.

Additionally, Victor, through his Vancouver-based company, Greedy Productions Ltd., was the executive producer of two technology-based programs produced for G4TechTV Canada: “The Lab with Leo Laporte” and “Torrent.”

Victor also executive produces, directs and narrates documentaries through his company’s Greedy Docs division and has worked with numerous partners over the years including Activision, Sega, Kojima Productions, Bethesda, Disney and Warner Brothers.

Recent projects include, “The Making of Metal Gear Solid 4,” “Awakening The Giants: The Making of Turok,” “The Vault-Tec Files: The Making of Fallout 3,” “The Making of Batman: Arkham Asylum,” “The Making of Iron Man,” and “The Making of The Incredible Hulk.”

Check out more keynote speakers: diglondon.ca

GAMES DAY Podcast – Live in London!

GAMES DAY Podcast - “An awesome video podcast about video games”

If you haven’t heard about GAMES DAY Podcast, now is a great time to check them out. Based out of London, Ontario, GAMES DAY Podcast discusses video game news, play and review games, and “share awesome nacho recipes”. Check out their site and get acquainted with these video game buffs today!

On Wednesday, October 15th, GAMES DAY Podcast will be doing a live taping from the Big Blue Bubble studios in London, Ontario. Fans will be invited to come check out the live broadcast in person and will have a chance to learn more about GAMES DAY Podcast, Big Blue Bubble, and the DIG London Conference. More details to come!

Hugo Morin of Frima Studio to be at DIG London!

Hugo Morin founded Humagade in April 2003. In the years that followed, the company experienced a staggering growth rate, with an 84% increase in sales each year, and a rapid growth in size to over 40 employees. Having produced over 100 games in J2ME/BREW and Flashlite, it rapidly became a key player in the mobile entertainment market. Because of Humagade’s distinctive experience, it has had the opportunity to work with world-class licenses such as Star Wars, Mickey Mouse and the Olympic Games. In February 2008, Mr. Morin became a shareholder in Frima Studio, which acquired Humagade. Today, Frima has over 230 employees and is the second-largest independent studio in Quebec. Mr. Morin has over 15 years’ experience as a manager in the high-tech sector, and is actively involved in the Quebec industry. He sits on the Board of Directors of the provincial association for IT entrepreneurs (Voix des Entrepreneurs en Technologie de l’Information de Québec (VETIQ)), on the board of the National School of Interactive Entertainment, on the board of the Plateforme Multimedia, participates in VETIQ’s “Presidents’ Circle,” and gives seminars on his business experience. In 2007–2008, he was selected by the government of Quebec to participate in a training program on IT-business management, given by the prestigious Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.

For more information on DIG London speakers, visit the site: http://conf.diglondon.ca/index.php/dig/menu_link/speakers/

DIG Game Design Competition Now Open!

Students, now is your chance to show the gaming world the game design skills you have!

Hosted by the DIG London Annual Conference, the Design Competition is open to all college and university students with a focus on those in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, and Digital Media.  Students are invited to participate in one of three categories: Art, Programming, and Sound. The competition opens September 18^th and closes October 5^th for the Art and Programming and runs October 12^th – October 16^th for Sound.

Students are invited to register online at www.diglondon.ca and download the competition specs. Winners of Digital Interactive Gaming (DIG) London’s design competition will announced the DIG London Gala Dinner Tuesday November 3rd, 2009.  $10,000 will be awarded to up to 6 individuals.

Check out the details and participate today!