HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Six Nova Scotia gaming and interactive media companies have been preparing for months and are set to share their latest game releases and virtual reality creations at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, CA on March 14-18, 2016.
Known in the industry as the world’s largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event, it is the primary forum where professionals gather to exchange ideas that drive and shape the future of the industry.
“The Game Developers Conference is a key industry event for developing business and export opportunities for Nova Scotia’s digital and gaming companies,” said Laurel Broten, President and CEO Nova Scotia Business Inc.
Nova Scotia Gaming and Interactive Media Sector Quick Facts:
- Nova Scotia offers the most competitive digital media and digital animation tax credit in Canada.
- Nova Scotia is Canada’s University Capital and is home to 10 universities and 13 community college campuses.
- Acadia University and Dalhousie University offer specialty programs in video game development within computer science.
- Nova Scotia Community College and Eastern College offer diplomas in animation and game design.
- Nova Scotia is home to more than 20 interactive media studios.
Some of this year’s participants include:
Alpha Dog Games builds innovative, immersive games for a global audience and is returning to GDC for its 5th year. “Our strategy game engine technology has matured and we’re looking for IP holders or franchise partners that could benefit from our expertise and world class development team.” said Jeff Cameron, Co-Founder Alpha Dog Games. This year at GDC, Alpha Dog will continue to build its momentum on the international stage with its latest game MonstroCity: Build and Destroy. The game was developed in partnership with German publisher Gameforge, and was quietly released in test markets earlier this year.
Fourth Monkey Media will be showcasing its past successes with over 25 games shipped to date and exploring publishing options for new developments, “Fourth Monkey Media is excited to attend this year’s GDC in San Francisco,” says Kirsten Tomilson, president of Fourth Monkey Media. “We will be meeting with potential outsourcing opportunities, and are poised to pitch a game we have been working on internally for the past few months. It’s an Idle Accumulator currently in Alpha and we’re well positioned to explore publishing options.”
Punk Science Studios, a multi-platform game developer specializing in high quality, story-driven titles is one of the province’s newer gaming studios founded by industry veteran, Darryl Wright. “We’ve been courting publishers for a while now but we’re finally unveiling a prototype for our science fiction horror game, Occupy Human. It’s a unique mix of top-down strategy, action and storytelling. And of course it’s steeped in our studios’ signature savvy and attention to detail. We’re also 6looking to expand our portfolio of contract work with studio partners.” says founder Darryl Wright.
REDSpace, Inc. is looking to leverage project successes achieved from producing over 150 mobile, desktop, and web games including content for award-winning app experiences like Cartoon Network Anything and Noggin from Nickelodeon, a top-grossing iPhone app in the U.S., “We have literally written the book on some of the emerging HTML5 game development platforms. As a strong engineering studio with a world-class design team attached, we are uniquely equipped and trusted to produce content and apps for many of the top kids’ content portals and subscription services in the market,” said Michael Johnston, President of REDSpace, Inc.
River Studios, formerly Twisted Oak Studios, is currently working on virtual reality (VR) experiences for the HTC Vive Oculus Rift and Gear VR. River is going to GDC in search of new content partners and growth opportunities, “I’m really excited about the opportunities presented for those involved in VR,” says Devin Horsman, Technical Director for River Studios Halifax.”
Vesuvius Media will use the event to pursue partnerships and publishers for its new mobile games. “We have grown quite a bit over the last year,” said Konstantinos Manos, CEO and Lead Game Designer Vesuvius Media. “We have branched into new markets, which include mobile games, but also board games and graphic novels. We’re looking forward to building on this momentum at GDC.”
For more information on the Gaming and Interactive Media Sector in Nova Scotia, please visit YourStudioHere.ca
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