Village Gamer

Edmonton – Most Dragon Age: Origins fans probably already know this, but the DLC pack Return To Ostagar is now available for download. I grabbed it from XBL for 400 MSPoints last night, but haven’t yet had time to play through it. I’m going to work some DA play time in today between returning from the Salt Mine and the return of Bones this evening, and will share my thoughts on the expansion with you tomorrow.

*Update – and just as I posted this, I received another update that the DLC released yesterday is buggy and has been removed. No further updates on the Return to Ostagar DLC are available at this time. This is sad.

Montreal – Ubisoft has released a new video for Splinter Cell: Conviction. Sam Fisher’s old friend Victor Coste shares his views on what’s happened to Sam, and delivers what amounts to a thinly veiled warning for his interviewers. The video features a quick look-back at some Sam’s previous assignments and important events which serve to lead us to where the story currently sits.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua9RCm1vqN4]

Online – The CATAAlliance and Canadian Innovation Centre invite you to join them on January 19 for their “Critical Factor Assessment: Are You Ready to Succeed” webinar.

Your new technology innovation may be leading edge, but there are many other factors that will influence your ability to win in the marketplace. Examining these issues upfront can help you determine your readiness to succeed, and what gaps you need to fill to enhance your chances of success.

The Critical Factors Assessment (CFA) service offered by the Canadian Innovation Centre, has been used to evaluate over 20,000 innovations. It has been proven to be an accurate predictor of success. This predictive power is made possible by the proprietary, peer-reviewed tool covering 40 factors that are key to any commercialization endeavour, supported by an extensive library of case studies and secondary research.

The CFA tool has been adapted for use by many organizations in evaluating start-ups opportunities and it often helps in securing early financing.

Join us to learn about the Critical Factor Assessment process and how it can help you increase your probability of success.

Critical Factor Assessment: Are You Ready to Succeed
Date : Tuesday January 19th at 12:00 EDT
Register : Online
There is no cost to attend, but space is limited, so don’t miss it – sign-up now!

The Ready Set Grow webinars are intended as a resource for emerging and established Canadian Technology companies to help them accelerate their growth. Each webinar features recognized subject matter experts and Canadian tech industry executives addressing a broad range of the issues facing growing companies.

The series is being presented by the Canadian Innovation Centre and the Technology Marketing Resource Centre in collaboration with the Canadian Advanced Technology Association (CATA). The Ready Set Grow series is sponsored by Export Development Canada (EDC) and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

Vancouver – Delivered in partnership with ACETECH, BCTIA presents the first annual Xcelerate Forum, a full day committed to improving your corporate strategies and operations through dynamic two-way discussions with professional experts and industry coaches specializing in legal, finance, markets, talent, product development, planning, sales, licensing, and many more.

Xcelerate Forum is a dynamic learning experience delivering the highest degree of coaching possible in a short period of time. To ensure we deliver the best results possible, only twenty-five companies will be selected to attend Xcelerate Forum.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver – After a successful 2009 debut at which more than 800 members of the Canadian game development community came together for learning, inspiration and networking, the Game Developers Conference™ Canada (GDC Canada) will return for a second year to the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC from May 6-7, 2010. GDC Canada will once again serve as the premier local event for developers and business development professionals looking for best practices for managing established franchises, developing new global titles, or looking to take advantage of new distribution models. This year’s conference will feature tracks focused on Digital Distribution, Social Games, and iPhone Games alongside tracks on Game Design, Business and Production, Programming, and Visual Arts. The Game Career Seminar also returns to GDC Canada as a one-day event for students and individuals who want to break into the video game industry. The second annual GDC Canada is presented by Reboot Communications and Think Services, the organizers of the industry-leading Game Developers Conference. Registration and conference information is available online at the official GDC Canada website. In addition to all of the conference’s editorial content, GDC Canada features an expo hall and a host of evening networking events.

“Attendees to this year’s GDC Canada will gain new insights to current technologies across different game platforms as well as new business opportunities and distribution models,” said Izora de Lillard, event director. “We’re proud return to Vancouver and provide the forum for Canadian developers to connect, celebrate, and further the industry.”

GDC Canada 2010 will return with visionary keynotes, lectures, panels and roundtable discussions programmed by an advisory board of industry veterans from all across Canada. This year’s advisory board is comprised of Brenda Bailey (Deep Fried Entertainment), Steve Bocska (Pug Pharm), Howard Donaldson (Disney Interactive Studios), Dave Elton (EA Blackbox), Tabitha Hayes (EA), Dan Irish (Threewave), Jerome Kashetsky (National Research Council of Canada), Colin Macrae (EA), Dr. Gerri Sinclair (Great Northern Way Campus), Tarrnie Williams (EA), Kerry Whalen, (Ubisoft), and Kelly Zmak (Radical Entertainment).