Games Montreal

Video: NHL 10 Gameplay Innovations Doc

Chris — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:59:56 PDT

Not developed in Montreal (this game is done by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C), but it’s still nice to see some new NHL gameplay.

This year NHL devs take it to the next level.

Video Games | NHL 10 | Gameplay Innovations Doc HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Bug-Tracker Laboratories acquires Monde Media Solutions

Chris — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:49:46 PDT

Bug-Tracker Laboratories, a company specializing in Quality Assurance services, acquires Monde Media Solutions an institution specializing in localization for video games.

Bug-Tracker Laboratories, one of the world leaders in quality assurance dedicated to the interactive entertainment industry, holding their main offices in Montreal, confirms it will widen its range of services by acquiring Monde Media Solutions, a young Montreal-based institution specializing in translation, localization integration and cultural adaptation for video games.

“We are very happy with this new acquisition and the synergy that it creates between both companies”, declares Antoine Carre, President of Bug-Tracker Laboratories. “The combination of our respective services allows us to offer all-encompassing proposals to our customers, bringing an operational solution to recurring needs felt by many major players in the video game industry”.

Bug-Tracker’s presence in Canada, Europe and Asia affords many new outlets and opportunities for Monde Media Solutions in these territories.

The two companies will keep their independence with respect to their own clients, but the convergence of both sets of services will make it possible to offer global solutions to interested customers. These will include translation in more than 15 languages, integration of translated texts, images and sounds, technical and cultural multilingual adaptation, localized audio recordings, game testing and analysis, localization testing resulting from the localization integration process, as well as customer support in several languages.

“We are elated by this new association with Bug-Tracker and all of the opportunities for growth that such an affiliation will bring to both companies.” adds Jean-Robert Michel, general manager at Monde Media Solutions. “This marriage will make it possible for our company to benefit from Bug-Tracker’s extensive management and marketing resources, while we concentrate on developing and perfecting our processes and our versatile localization tools suite.

Some of the clear advantages for our customers will be the improvement of the quality of our localizations, the flexibility and responsiveness brought by being present on three continents, the efficiency of having our respective resources in close proximity, and of course, the reduction in localization costs”.

About Bug-Tracker Laboratories: www.bug-tracker.com

Bug-Tracker Laboratories is one of the leading vendors in quality assurance for video game publishers and developers. In the last 10 years, Bug-Tracker Laboratories has managed projects in 15 languages for more than 200 customers and partners in 26 countries. Thanks to the irreproachable quality of its work, its proven methods and its innovative approach to testing, Bug-Tracker Laboratories has contributed to the success of more than 3000 projects (consoles, PC, online games, Internet sites, etc).

Interview: Ubisoft’s Mallat On New Toronto Studio’s Future

Chris — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:54 PDT

From Gamasutra:

Following Monday’s press conference announcing a new Ubisoft development studio in Toronto, Gamasutra had a chance to talk to the studio’s new CEO, Yannis Mallat.

The unveiling of the "full development studio" in Toronto, Ontario marks the company’s first development presence in the province, and is intended to create 800 new jobs in the next decade.

Mallat — who is also to continue overseeing Ubisoft Montreal — talked to us about the big plans for a "triple-A" game development studio, with convergence with the local film industry key.

The Montreal studio is 2,300 people now. Does the new Toronto studio mean you’ve changed your plans for continued expansion for Montreal?

Yannis Mallat: I’ve been asked about what the Toronto studio means for the Montreal studio a lot, but we’re absolutely not stopping expansion in Montreal. If you consider Ubisoft as an entire company, we’re very healthy, and so we need to maintain growth across the company.

As you may well know our plan is to reach 3000 people in Montreal by 2013, and we’re maintaining that vision. Today’s announcement is about keeping growing at the group level, so we’re opening a new studio here, but we’ll keep growing there.

More at Gamasutra

Update: Joystiq also has an interview with Yannis Mallat.

Ubisoft Opening New Studio In Toronto

Chris — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:15:50 PDT

Ubisoft announced plans today to open a full development studio in Toronto, Ontario – a first for the company in the province. This significant announcement is expected to result in the creation of 800 net new jobs within the province over the next decade. The government of Ontario is investing CA$263 million over ten years in the company and Ubisoft’s net investment will be over half a billion CAD in the new studio, which will begin operations in late 2009.

“Today’s announcement marks a strategic move for Ubisoft as we continue to expand our internal development force,” said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “We are in an excellent position to grow and after extensive analysis we are thrilled to have reached an agreement with the government of Ontario to found our new studio in Toronto. The city is one of North America’s economic and cultural epicenters and our expectations are high. We’re excited to be able to count on the exceptional local talent, who will contribute to our accelerated growth and will have a profound impact on the video game industry with the excellence of their creativity.”

Ubisoft Toronto will be overseen by Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer at Ubisoft Montréal, whose proven leadership and vision will be a major asset to the growth and success of the new studio. Ubisoft Toronto will work on Triple-A games and will emulate the proven business model and creative excellence for which Ubisoft is known. In addition, Ubisoft Toronto will bring its own flavour to the global Ubisoft brand, which will benefit from the deep pool of dynamic and quality talent trained in video game design and production in the province of Ontario.

The Toronto studio will also build on the city’s existing experience with the film production industry. Collaborating with local film industry veterans to enhance video game production and extend Ubisoft’s convergence strategy, Ubisoft Toronto will contribute to Ubisoft’s global plan of extending its brands to complementary platforms and mediums, including books, comics, short films and other products.

“We are incredibly excited to finally tap into the remarkable talent Ontario has been developing over the years,” said Yannis Mallat. “Toronto’s unique pool of experience video game industry and film industry talent will allow us to develop a team with exceptional ability to help us realize our goals for creating brands with universal appeal that extend beyond the world of video games.”

The studio in Toronto will be the fourth for Ubisoft in Canada, with other studios located in Montréal, Quebec City and Vancouver and employing more than 2,300 creative staff across the country.

Today’s announcement is made possible with the support of the Ontario provincial government and its dedication to invest in organizations that create jobs and provide long-term value for the provincial economy. Premier Dalton McGuinty was on hand today at the Ubisoft press conference in Toronto to help announce plans for the new studio and elaborate on the provincial government’s support for the endeavour, stating “Our world is one where you can borrow capital, you can copy technology and you can buy natural resources. But to build a high wage and a high standard of living you need talent. By investing in Ubisoft, we’re building Ontario’s economy now and for the future.”
Among its more than 17 multi-million selling franchises, Ubisoft is known for developing and producing such legendary game brands as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, Assassin’s Creed®, Prince of Persia®, Red Steel®, Rayman®, Rayman Raving Rabbids®, and Far Cry®.
Industry professionals interested in joining Ubisoft Toronto, please contact work.in.TO@ubisoft.com

IGDA: June 25: Summer Social + E3 Redux

Chris — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:27:48 PDT

From IGDA Montreal:

When: Thursday, June 25th @ 7:00pm
What: Summer Social + E3 Redux
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: Drink, schmooze and check out cool games
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

This is the final IGDA-Montreal event for the 08-09 "season". Come hang out and schmooze, and help us run through our stock of free drink tickets. At least 3x free drinks will be given to every person there!

Since many Montreal studios were just at E3 showing off their upcoming games, we’ll have several games to show off on the big screens (eg, EA Montreal’s Army of Two 40th Day, A2M’s Wet, Mass Effect 2 from BioWare, etc).

Need for Speed NITRO Debut Trailer

Chris — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:45:23 PDT

From GameTrailers:

A trailer of the upcoming Need for Speed game (for Wii and DS) developped by EA Montreal.

It doesn’t seem to be in-game footage though, just a cinematic.

Update: Here’s an interview with Joe Booth the Senior Producer, touching the design and controls of the game:

Reminder: IGDA Montreal presentation tonight

Chris — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:53:17 PDT

From IGDA Montreal:

When: Wednesday, May 20th @ 7:00pm
What: IGDA-Montreal Presentation Night
Where: The SAT, 1195 St.Laurent
Why: BioWare on Mass Effect 2 iterative level design
Who: All game developers, and those related to the game industry
Entry: free for IGDA members; $5 for non-members

This session examines the BioWare Mass Effect team’s new level-creation process, which is focused on maximizing iteration for quality while minimizing rework and cost. This approach to building levels strives to integrate the Design, Art, and Production teams such that the highest-risk level-creation issues are addressed early in the development cycle. Lessons learned from Mass Effect lead to a detailed description of the new level-creation process, and graphical examples of a level illustrate its progression through the necessary phases. The discussion also examines how BioWare is currently implementing this process using elements of Scrum and Lean Development.

EA Adds First-Person Punching To NHL 10

Chris — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:48:58 PDT

From Kotaku:

First person brawlers are few and far between—only a handful, like Condemned, Breakdown and Zeno Clash, have found some degree of success with their attempts—but that’s not going to stop EA from letting you rain blows on the professional athlete of your choosing. The new addition is just one of "more than 200 gameplay refinements" shipping with the next iteration, according to EA, including the arrival of "towel-waving fans." Jeez, finally.

Of course, EA has slightly more worthwhile gameplay improvement planned for NHL 10, including bobble passes, scrums, and the option to one-time loose pucks, three things that illustrate how out of touch I am with the sport of hockey. Other additions include an all-new board physics engine, 360° precision passing mechanic and the ability to shoot while kneeling.

The game is scheduled to arrive on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year, skipping the PC and PlayStation 2.

Babel Appoints Nagai For Japan Biz Dev

Chris — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:41:52 PDT

From Gamasutra:

Outsourcing firm Babel says it’s hired Toshiyuki Nagai to head its business development efforts in Japan.

Now owned by India-based firm Quattro BPO Solutions, Babel also has offices in Brighton, New Delhi, Montreal, and Los Angeles. Its Montreal branch is its most recent addition, opening in September 2005, and recently saw a significant expansion.

Now, Nagai will lead the company’s efforts to grow in Japan. He has worked with companies including Eidos and Electronic Arts, and was most recently GM of Genius Sonority.

"I am delighted Toshiyuki could join us," says sales and marketing VP Keith Russell. "His wealth of knowledge of the Japanese market, his contacts within the industry as well as within all our existing clients means he brings considerable advantage to the team, and I am confident he will help us grow our business in Japan."

Ubisoft Teasing Splinter Cell Conviction

Chris — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:35:24 PDT

From 1up:

Ubisoft has a new teaser for Splinter Cell: Conviction online. It seems that our guy Sam Fisher is in some trouble.

At the game’s main site, there’s nothing save a "Third Echelon" emblem and the message, "Site Currently Under Investigation." Below that, "If you have any information on Sam Fisher, please report it here." The link connects to Splinter Cell’s official forums.

Check it out for yourself here. Maybe you can figure out what "vomacoifinnocnt" means.