Village Gamer

Quebec – The fate of the earth and the survival of the human race hang in the balance in the Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen video game from Activision Publishing, Inc. Based on Hasbro’s legendary TRANSFORMERS property and the most anticipated blockbuster film of 2009 from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures in association with Hasbro, the game propels players straight into an adrenaline-pumping battle for supremacy across the globe where every second and every choice makes the difference between mankind’s salvation and annihilation.

“The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game will give fans the chance to experience their favorite AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS in an all-new, movie inspired adventure packed with the thrilling and explosive action that only the TRANSFORMERS universe can deliver,” said Rob Kostich, vice president of global brand management, Activision, Inc. “We are thrilled to announce that after experiencing the rush of commanding colossal robots on their own, players can challenge their friends for the first time ever in full-featured, blistering multiplayer action as their favorite characters.”
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Introduces “Master” Membership Level for Advanced MSPs

Ottawa – MSP Partners, an alliance founded by Cisco, Ingram Micro, Intel, Level Platforms and Microsoft, with the active participation of over 20 leading IT vendors and thousands of solution providers and MSPs, today announced the launch of its comprehensive all new 2009 education program.

Based on demand from the large number of solution providers now moving to more advanced Managed Services, MSP Partners is today introducing a “Master” membership. Master members will benefit from a series of professional courses and live events addressing the challenges and opportunities they face in moving their business to the next level.

“Our new Master membership level demonstrates the vendor community’s ongoing commitment to help solution providers grow and prosper in their business transformation to managed services. Our 2009 content provides the research and education solution providers need as they launch and evolve their Managed Services businesses,” said Jim Hamilton, Executive Director of MSP Partners.

New 2009 content includes:

* A comprehensive suite of on-demand courses covering both foundational Managed Services concepts as well as advanced concepts dealing with marketing, sales, operations and best in class Managed Services practices, all based on extensive and exclusive new 2009 research.
* Eight 2009 live web events describing new Managed Services opportunities in networking, security, business continuity and much more.
* An MSP Benchmark tool that evaluates a solution provider’s Managed Services business and provides a detailed best in class analysis.
* An “Ask an Expert” feature, where industry thought leaders answer members’ Managed Services questions.
* Monthly analysis of current trends in the Managed Services market.

First Phase of Technical Testing for Popular Racing Franchise to Begin in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Vancouver – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that EA Asia will publish Need for Speed World Online in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Jointly created by EA Black Box, the developer of the Need for Speed™ franchise, and EA’s online studio in Singapore, EA’s blockbuster racing franchise comes to Asia with a free to play, multiplayer PC-only online game The first phase of technical testing is scheduled to start in March 2009.

The game offers numerous race tracks and game modes where players are able to form teams to take on the competition and the police. Players can collect and customize racing characters alongside authentic real-world licensed cars and will be able to track their progress via online leaderboards, all in the largest free roaming environment in Need for Speed history. Need for Speed World Online is a new entertainment experience that delivers excellent gameplay, stunning graphics and sophisticated online matchmaking features that emphasize social interaction between players.
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Montreal – Gamerizon, an emerging game development studio, today announced its official opening in Montreal, a city well-known for its vibrant video game industry. The new independent casual game development studio – led by a team of seasoned industry experts – aims to be at the leading edge in defining the next generation of casual games.

“Gamerizon has a unique and innovative vision of the development of casual games,” says Dominique Bélanger, President of Gamerizon. “Our unique game design approach combined with our long-standing expertise allow us to create innovative gameplay mechanics that appeal to today’s gamers. Gamerizon is quickly carving out a distinctive niche into the casual gaming market.”

The young Montreal studio currently focuses its efforts on the development of multiplatform casual games, targeting digital distribution on various platforms – from smart phones to new generation consoles – as well as PC and Mac. Its first title, the highly-anticipated and soon to be released QuantZ, offers a simple yet addictive organic gameplay that refreshingly merges elements of the marble popper, action-puzzle and match-3 genres. The demo version of the game has already made a great impression on industry experts and video game enthusiasts alike.

Gamerizon was founded by brothers Martin and Robert Lizée (two seasoned video game entrepreneurs who have produced and developed several popular titles) and by digital media entrepreneur Dominique Bélanger. Focusing on an industry experiencing booming growth, Gamerizon is also seeking to hire senior level candidates to complete its talented Montreal team.

Montreal – Meridian4 and Frogames have been hard at work tweaking Penguins Arena, their action-packed, non-stop battle for survival – FPS (First Penguin Shooter) and have fixed a few things and added others.

The update to Penguins Arena: Sedna’s World has been released and is available through normal digital distribution channels. The specific changes include:

• Added “Custom maps” game mode, which allow players to play maps created with PAME (Penguins Arena Map Editor)
• Added 4 new custom maps created by fans (Thanks!)
• Fixed case of penguins falling into the water but are still alive (The ‘Tread Water’ bug)
• Fixed some achievements not being able to be unlocked
• Fixed crash when a player tries to join a full server
• Fixed not being able to bind the ‘E’ key
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EA SPORTS Downloadable Title Prioritizes Accessible Fun with Low Cost of Entry

Burnaby – Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that 3 on 3 NHL® Arcade – an all-new downloadable experience from EA SPORTS Freestyle™ – is now available worldwide on the PlayStation®Network for $9.99. The game will be available on XBOX Live Arcade, for 800 MS Points, on February 11, 2009. Developed at EA Canada by the team that produced the critically acclaimed NHL 09, winner of 10 Sports Videogame of the Year Awards, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a no rules, fast paced, hockey experience that gamers of all types can enjoy.

From the exaggerated player-looks of 40 of the NHL’s top stars to game changing power-ups, 3 on 3 NHL Arcade is a light-hearted hockey game that appeals to everyone. With no rules to hinder the action, you can deliver devastating checks that send your opponent over the boards, or check the goalie if he skates out of the crease to play the puck. Feel like you need to turn the tide? Grab one of eight power-ups to change the momentum of a game and fly down the ice with a super-speed skater to beat a mini-goalie with a trick move for that highlight reel finish.
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Vancouver – One of the co-founders of the award winning science fiction show Sanctuary is bringing his gaming talents back to the classroom. The Art Institute of Vancouver is proud to welcome Marc Aubanel as Academic Director of Game Art and Design and Visual Games Programming.

Marc, originally from Montreal, took Communication Studies at Concordia University, On relocating to Vancouver in 1992, the lifelong hockey fan channeled this passion as Online Editor for the Canucks magazine, Winning Spirit. At an exciting, up and coming time for the gaming world, Marc found himself drawn to the industry and joined Electronic Arts Canada (EA), the largest 3rd party games publisher in the world. Marc spent 13 years and worked his way to vice president / executive

Marc Aubanel

producer, working on such video games as chart breaking FIFA and Need for Speed Underground producing over 50 SKU’s for revenues generating more than a billion dollars.

Marc left EA around the same time as Damien Kindler left his role as co-executive producer on the hit show Stargate and they formed Vancouver based production company and full service visual effects house, Stage 3 Media. Deciding that there must be a better way of making entertainment in the new, emerging electronics market, they set about creating the first broadcast quality, High Definition dramatic series designed specifically for the internet, combining live actors and CG sets and backgrounds. In 2006 the web based series Sanctuary was born.

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Toronto – The economic downturn is forcing companies to restructure and contract, but Delvinia Interactive, a pioneer and authority on digital marketing and interactive solutions, has reaping the benefits of the digital space that is showing strong, stable growth and enormous potential. In fact, Delvinia was recently selected to re-architect the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s 5km Breast Cancer Run website, rebuild Aeromove’s website and formed an alliance with enterprise computing company IGLOO.

“The digital space is an area that hasn’t come to a complete standstill like other industries,” said Steve Mast, Vice President and Managing Director, Delvinia Interactive. “The state of the economy has created an opportunity for companies to re-invent the way they interact with their audience in the digital space and create an engaging and interactive experience, beyond just a company website.”

Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s 5K Your Way website to receive makeover
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Ottawa – Corel Corporation introduced an International Design Contest and special anniversary edition of CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X4 to mark 20 years of design innovation with CorelDRAW. The contest is open to current and new CorelDRAW Graphics Suite users around the world and closes on May 31, 2009. The special anniversary edition of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite will be available in nine languages worldwide, including English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, and Russian.

“CorelDRAW 1.0 revolutionized graphics on the Windows platform, providing many more people around the globe with a new avenue to express their creativity,” said Gérard Métrailler, Senior Director of Product Management, Graphics for Corel. “Our community of CorelDRAW users has continued to grow and flourish over 20 years marked by exciting new breakthroughs in functionality, expansion into new international markets and a continuing commitment to delivering a superior graphics experience on the PC. The developers, designers and product managers behind CorelDRAW are continually inspired by the insights and contributions of CorelDRAW users around the world. It is our users’ passion, energy and ingenuity that motivates us to continually deliver products that open up new design possibilities.”
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MEGA Brands to Develop Construction Sets Based on Microsoft Game Studios’ New Game, Halo Wars Through Deal Brokered By Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising

MONTREAL – MEGA Brands Inc. is thrilled to announce that it has entered into a global licensing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios to develop construction toys based on its much-anticipated new game, Halo Wars, a realtime, exciting strategy game based on the legendary Halo® universe. The agreement was brokered by Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, licensing agent for the Halo franchise.

Under the global agreement, MEGA Brands will develop the first-ever construction toy sets based on the key characters and vehicles of Halo Wars under the Mega Bloks umbrella. The video game will be available at retailers worldwide in early 2009. The Mega Bloks licensed product offerings will make their retail debut worldwide in the summer of 2009.
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