Village Gamer

Toronto – Over the next five years, digital technologies will become increasingly widespread across all segments of entertainment & media (E&M) as the digital migration continues to expand according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2009 – 2013.

Though the current economic downturn has, without doubt, impacted virtually every sector of the E&M marketplace it has also accelerated and intensified the digital migration among both providers and consumers of content.

*The global E&M market as a whole, including both consumer and advertising spending will grow by 2.7% compound annual growth (CAGR) for the entire forecast period to US$1.6 trillion in 2013.
*Canadian E&M spending projected to grow at a 2.2% CAGR to US$36.7 billion by 2013.
*Video game, internet advertising (wired and mobile) and digital everything to see biggest increases.

“What we are sure about is that this recession will last longer than previous ones due to a steeper downturn and that the impact on advertising will be particularly significant,” says Tracey Jennings, leader of the PwC Canada E&M practice. “E&M is not immune from the decline in consumer spending either – in Canada consumer spending in E&M will fall by a projected 4.9 % in 2009, remaining weak in 2010 and seeing only relatively low growth at 2.2% CAGR by 2013. Overall Canadian advertising spend will actually decrease a total of -0.5% CAGR by 2013 reflecting lower ad spending across traditional segments. Consumer spending, however, will rebound quicker from the recession. In fact, by 2013 consumer spend on E&M is projected to outpace GDP.”
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Toronto – The National Film Board of Canada’s animated short, Runaway by Oscar-nominated director, Cordell Barker, was honoured with the Jury’s Special Award at the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film Festival on Saturday, June 13. Barker received this same honour in 2001 for his Oscar nominated animated short, Strange Invaders.

Runaway

Annecy International Animated Film Festival is wholly dedicated to animation and is the biggest and most recognized event of its kind in the world, often being referred to as the Cannes of animation.

About Runaway

What would happen if the world were a driverless train thundering recklessly over bumpy tracks? Cordell Barker’s new short animation, the colourful Runaway, provides a caustic answer. Set to music by Benoît Charest, Runaway is Cordell Barker’s third animation film with the NFB. Born in Winnipeg, Barker made his first film, the much-loved musical animation The Cat Came Back (1988), at the NFB. Voted one of the 50 greatest cartoons of all time, the film went on to win over 15 awards and honours, including an Academy Award nomination. His second film with the NFB, Strange Invaders (2002), garnered him a further 15 awards, including a second Oscar nomination. Runaway is produced by Derek Mazur for the NFB. In May, it was awarded the Petit Rail d’Or for Best Short Film in Cannes. The general public is invited to download and share a copy of the film’s embeddable trailer available at http://www.nfb.ca/film/runaway_teaser/

Toronto – Providential Pictures has announced the launch of Paws and Tales Games MMOG, a faith-based website for children to play, watch and learn. Paws and Tales Games aims to provide a fun, safe and educational place online for children and families.

Paws and Tales Games aims to provide a fun, safe and educational place online for children and families. The Paws and Tales Games MMOG is based on Paws and Tales The Animated Series®.

Both the animated series and games website are designed for children as safe entertainment with faith-based values that parents can trust. Children can choose their favourite Paws and Tales character and interact with friends online.

Capable of supporting thousands of players simultaneously, the long term goal of the website is to enable players to cooperate with each other on a large scale and interact meaningfully with others around the world.

“Safety is our first priority and we have worked to ensure that we’ve created a safe online environment for children and their families.” said Product Manager Nelson Bodnarchuk. “We offer a chat that has a predefined menu of greetings, questions and statements for users to interact with. Users aren’t able to transmit personal data to other users. Those users who engage in inappropriate behavior can be suspended or banned from the Community.” Read the rest of this entry »

Toronto – EnStream LP, a mobile commerce joint venture company owned by Bell Mobility, Rogers and TELUS — Canada’s three leading wireless operators, today launched Zoompass™, a breakthrough mobile money transfer and payment service. Zoompass gives Canadians a fast and convenient way to send and receive money securely using their mobile phone. The service is enabled through the Zoompass application on the mobile phone which combines an easy-to-use interface with an integrated contact manager that redefines how users send and receive money. Zoompass is a better way to pay than cash, cheque, or wire transfer.

“The launch of Zoompass represents an important milestone in financial services that makes the mobile phone the central device consumers use to transfer money and make purchases,” said Robin Dua, President of EnStream. “The Zoompass mobile service ushers in a new era in electronic payments that addresses a growing desire to move money quickly and easily between friends, family, and merchants.”

Zoompass makes it easy to split a lunch bill, request money from parents, collect sports team fees, solicit money for a co-worker’s gift, or even pay a babysitter – right from a mobile phone. With the groundbreaking launch of Zoompass, Canadians nationwide can expect to hear more people ask one another “Do you want me to Zoom you the money?”
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Vancouver – PowerUp Studios, the creators of Night of a Million Billion Zombies, proudly announces the release of NOMBZ: HEADSHOT! for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, available now through the Apple App Store, where you can pick it up for only 99 cents.

The Night of a Million Billion Zombies virus spreads to the iPhone as a 3D tap ‘n’ shoot action game that challenges you to defend against mobs of zombies, all hungry for your delicious human brains!

Choose your weapon and battle for survival against different types of zombies in a variety of settings, including city, suburbs, mall… and a secret setting!

Fight! Survive! Escape! We hope you enjoy the zombie apocalypse!

System Requirements:
Compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch
iPhone OS 2.0 or later

NOMBZ Headshot is rated E10+ for Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence and Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes

Vancouver – Game publisher Paradox Interactive today announced that in anticipation of the upcoming expansion pack Sword of the Stars: Argos Naval Yard from Vancouver’s Kerberos Productions, Sword of the Stars: Ultimate Collection is temporarily available for $7.99 on GamersGate, Steam, Direct2Drive, and Impulse. This special price promotion lasts through this Sunday, June 13, 2009. Sword of the Stars: Ultimate Collection contains the original Sword of the Stars game and the two expansion packs Born of Blood and A Murder of Crows.

Paradox Interactive took over as publishers for the Sword of the Stars franchise in April of this year.  The original Sword of the Stars title was hailed as a major milestone in 4X Space Strategy games upon release, praised for its unique combination of turn based strategy and real-time space combat.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of Sword of the Stars series,” says Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “We look forward to continue bringing this game to market and further developing the IP with Kerberos for many years to come.”
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Edmonton – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., will bring Dragon Age™: Origins to the San Diego Comic-Con, GamesCom, Gen Con, Fan Expo Canada and Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) over the course of summer 2009. This summer consumer show tour gives fans the chance to experience the game’s dark and gritty world of violence, lust and betrayal first-hand, before it hits stores this fall on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Dragon Age: Origins promises gamers an epic adventure as a Grey Warden where they set on a course to defeat the Archdemon in a dark, stunning world. Dragon Age: Origins offers an engrossing story, unprecedented player choice, and bone-crushing, visceral combat, making it one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2009.

“Dragon Age: Origins is the biggest, most ambitious BioWare game to date, and we will be delivering that great experience simultaneously on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, CEO and co-founder of BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, Electronic Arts. “Whether you’re a PC or console gamer, Dragon Age: Origins reinvents the fantasy experience, combining a great story with raw emotion and brutal action. We’re excited to share it with gamers before it ships this fall.”
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Sim City – Electronic Arts Play Label, Sims Studio and Montreal’s Artificial Mind & Movement announced today that MySims Racing for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ will be zooming into retail outlets this week. The latest title in the popular MySims franchise starts players as wannabe speedsters and after working their way up the ranks, it is time for them to burn rubber against the toughest MySims rival racers on the trickiest tracks in Speedville. The excitement never stops as the more successful the player is on the track, the more they will be able to customize their kart and trick it out with new engines and bodies. Designed specifically from the ground up for the Nintendo platforms, MySims Racing offers something for everyone who wants to live life in the fast lane.

“The MySims have had many adventures and conquered many challenges, but for the first time we find them behind the wheels of their own customized vehicles,” said Tim LeTourneau, General Manager of the MySims Franchise. “MySims Racing combines the fun and quirky MySims spirit our fans love with fast-paced action-packed arcade racing. We can’t wait for players to take this game for a spin.”
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Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, will be the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10. A three-time NBA All-Star, Howard is currently looking to lead the Magic franchise to their first NBA Championship. The No. 1 pick of the 2004 NBA Draft was the 2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Kia Motors, an All-NBA First Team selection the last two seasons, and stole the show at the 2008 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest with his superhero antics. Additionally, Howard was the starting center of the 2008 U.S. Basketball Men’s Senior National Team which won the gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing. NBA LIVE 10 is currently in development under the EA SPORTS™ brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will be available worldwide this October.

“It’s an honor to be named as the cover athlete for NBA LIVE 10,” said Howard. “This year has been a crazy ride and this is a cool way to cap it off. Of course – there is one more thing I’m on the hunt for that would complete it.”
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Kingston Technology Company Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is holding a contest for Canadian residents* to win a HyperX^® gaming system or other prizes. Register online for a chance to win.

HyperX

“Kingston is proud to hold this contest as a thank you to all of our supporters and fans of the HyperX line of enthusiast memory in Canada,” said Jennifer Shih, marketing coordinator, Kingston^® Canada. “The HyperX name has become a trusted brand worldwide and continues to gain popularity with the recently released T1 heatspreaders, 12GB triple-channel kits and the new HyperX Fan which looks cool while keeping the memory cool.”

Eight prizes will be awarded:

• One gaming system powered by Kingston HyperX memory worth $3,000 (U.S.)
• One Kingston SSDNow M Series 80GB solid-state drive
• One HyperX DDR3 2GHz 6GB triple-channel memory kit
• Five DataTraveler^® HyperX 16GB USB Flash drives (one per winner)

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