Village Gamer

Vancouver – Smoking Gun Interactive Inc. a premier independent video game studio announced today that it is collaborating with the award-winning writer Douglas Rushkoff for the story of its as-of-yet undisclosed new property. Rushkoff will work closely with the team at Smoking Gun, to develop story narratives across a range of media formats that can feed off one another and exist concurrently.

“Our vision at Smoking Gun Interactive has always been to deliver interactive entertainment content in new and exciting ways that push the medium forwards”, said John Johnson CEO and Creative Director of Smoking Gun Interactive, “We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Douglas. His astounding skill in creating compelling narrative is the perfect fit for the themes and scenarios we are introducing in our first property”.

Winner of the first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Douglas Rushkoff is a bestselling and controversial author, comic’s writer, intellectual, and documentarian. His ten books on new media and popular culture have been translated to over thirty languages. They include Cyberia, Media Virus, Playing the Future, Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism, and Coercion, winner of the Marshall McLuhan Award for best media book. Rushkoff also wrote the acclaimed novels Ecstasy Club and Exit Strategy and graphic novel, Club Zero-G, as well as the recently released Life Inc: How the world became a corporation and how to take it back.
Read the rest of this entry »

Montreal – Today Ubisoft® announced that it is collaborating again with Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White in Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. Developed by Ubisoft Montréal, the game will be available exclusively for the Wii™ system from Nintendo and will be on store shelves for the holiday season in 2009.

“Working with Shaun on the first title was an excellent experience,” said Antoine Guignard, producer of Shaun White Snowboarding : World Stage at Ubisoft. “The great public reception of Shaun White Snowboarding and the wonderful collaboration with Shaun made it a slam dunk for us to reunite to create a fun, new adventure for fans.”

Players will hit the slopes with Shaun White and his crew, but this time the stakes are higher as you pursue the world’s top competitions from a half-pipe in the middle of New York’s Time Square to the most prestigious competitions of France, Canada and Japan.

“Ubisoft has been a great partner, and I’m excited for World Stage,” said action sports phenom Shaun White. “It’s cool to give people insight on what my life is like on the competition circuit.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver – Live to tell the tale of becoming a notorious pirate captain or suffer a fate of eternal damnation. Disney Interactive Studios today announced the development of Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, an epic, action role-playing game (RPG) from Propaganda Games, Disney’s video game development studio here in Vancouver.

Armada of the Damned is an entirely new experience within the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. The game takes place before the events of the blockbuster films. Players will take on the role of a pirate and embark on epic land and sea adventures. Numerous moral and character choices will need to be made that affect their character and the original story within the world. Players will explore a massive open world while fighting enemies, mystical creatures and Mother Nature, both to gain experience and stay alive. Supernatural elements familiar to the Pirates of the Caribbean world will also affect their character’s story and influence their choices.

“Armada of the Damned is a dynamic action role-playing game that captures all of the franchise’s excitement, unpredictability and action while delving into narrative elements never before explored within this unique universe,” said Dan Tudge, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Our team’s collective experience with industry-leading RPGs and action titles provides a strong foundation for us to create and build a compelling action role-playing title.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Montreal – Meridian4 and White Birds Productions are thrilled to announce that they have signed a global digital publishing agreement for their critically-acclaimed adventure title; Nikopol. After re-acquiring the rights for Nikopol from Got Game Entertainment, White Birds are excited to re-introduce the title to a new and larger audience with Canadian publisher Meridian4.

“We are very happy to work with Meridian4 on the digital distribution of Nikopol. Not only does Meridian4 have an excellent access to all major distributors, but they also have a real marketing and editorial approach, bringing a lot of added value to the title. We hope that this first partnership will be followed by new ones soon” said Michel Bams, co-founder and VP Marketing at White Birds Productions.

“Meridian4 is excited to be working with White Birds on their latest Adventure game; Nikopol. We have spoken to them many times and have always been impressed by their vision and their quality titles. We are delighted that this opportunity arose for us to work together.” said Andy Sher, CEO at Meridian4. “Nikopol is a compelling adventure title that will grip players from the outset and won’t let go till the very end.”

Toronto – DreamCatcher Games and JoWood Productions announce that a sequel to the successful SpellForce saga will be released this winter. SpellForce 2 – Faith in Destiny for the PC combines real time strategy with exciting role-play elements. Be part of the story, when all the loose ends tie up in a grandiose showdown between good and evil. Only you can conquer the shadows of the past and reveal the demonic conspiracy.

“Developing another game in the SpellForce saga is an exciting opportunity for us. Faith of Destiny is developed incorporating feedback from the community and feedback from those who have assisted in the development of previous Spellforce games,” says Clemens Schneidhofer, PR Coordinator at JoWooD Productions. “I’d like to add that we bow before the loyal fans of the brand and want to thank all of them for their amazing support.”

“SpellForce 2 – Faith in Destiny will continue the successful Spellforce brand,” adds David Skreiner, Associate Producer at JoWooD. “With its brand new multiplayer features and the countless detail improvements, SpellForce will, once more, set new revolutionary impulses to the genre.”

Vancouver – Paradox Interactive and Kerberos Productions today announced an expansion to the critically acclaimed 4X space strategy game series Sword of the Stars.

The new expansion, Argos Naval Yard, can be combined with either the original game or any of its previous expansions and will provide players with:

• 19 new technologies, including advanced drones, over thrusters, two new satellite designs, defensive interceptor micro-missiles, and polarized plasmatics which will unlock a new weapon type
• Over 75 new ship sections to build
• 10 new weapons, including the new inertial cannons, kelvinic torpedoes, and the fearsome rail cannon
• 3 new scenarios
Read the rest of this entry »

Montreal – Developed specifically for the Nintendo DS and Wii by EA Montreal, Need for Speed NITRO delivers the fun and exhilaration of high-speed racing, combining the franchise’s trademark attitude and car culture with deep and thrilling gameplay. With the NDS, battle through the mayhem of aggressive cops, take corners at 150 mph, and own the competition on extreme tracks. Boasting a wholly unique look and feel, Need for Speed NITRO thrusts gamers into an exciting flurry of over-the-top fun, where each race track features big air jumps, smackable objects, shortcuts and more!

In Need for Speed NITRO, players will be battling it out right to the finish line. In the heat of adrenaline-pumping competition, gamers must take risks on the road to build up Nitro boost and use it at the right moment to leave their rivals in the dust. They must also be ready to escape relentless cops with a propensity for road blocks. Players who activate their Heroic Driving moves at the perfect time can pull off over the top evasive tricks, outsmarting determined law enforcement in the process.
Read the rest of this entry »

Vancouver – Today Ubisoft® announced a new addition to its sports portfolio, Academy of Champions™, an arcade soccer game featuring legendary sports icons Pelé and U.S. soccer champion Mia Hamm. Developed for the Wii™ system from Nintendo, the game will deliver an engaging, interactive experience for kids and their families. Academy of Champions is scheduled to be released in 2009.

Academy of Champions

“We made our mark in the sports genre last year with the global success of Shaun White Snowboarding,” stated Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Now, with Academy of Champions, Ubisoft offers another sports game with a fresh approach that has something unique to offer young gamers and sports fans.”

Created by an experienced team of sports game developers at Ubisoft Vancouver, Academy of Champions engages players in a rich, story-driven adventure around the world’s most popular sport. The journey begins with enrollment at an extraordinary Academy where your coach is the legendary Pelé and U.S. soccer champion Mia Hamm is your team member and mentor.
Read the rest of this entry »

Montreal – Activision Publishing, Inc. has assembled an all-star cast for the upcoming Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen video game, including the film’s leads Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, who will reprise their starring roles in the game, and fan favorites Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the voices of OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON from the original animated series. In the new game, developed under license from Hasbro with Montreal’s Beenox Studio developing the Windows PC version, players are thrust into an adrenaline-pumping battle to defend Earth from a DECEPTICON attack that threatens mankind.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen features an extensive line-up of film actors, along with the voice talent that fans will recognize from the classic animated series,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing for licensed properties, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The diverse cast allowed us to not only capture the epic storyline from the film, but also seamlessly expand the fiction to create a unique and authentic TRANSFORMERS experience that fans of all ages will enjoy.”

In addition to Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox, Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Mark Ryan (Bumblebee), Jess Harnell (Ironhide), Charles Adler (Starscream) and Robert Foxworth (Ratchet) reprised their film roles for the game. Voice-over veterans John Di Maggio (Sideways) and James Arnold Taylor (The Fallen) also join the roster.
Read the rest of this entry »

Montréal – Ubisoft® has announced that it will launch a new title in the Might & Magic universe. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, a puzzle RPG, was developed by Toronto’s Capybara Games, creators of award-winning handheld and mobile games, specifically for Nintendo DS™ for release in August 2009.

In this game, through five unique and epic quests, players will alternate exploration and turn-based puzzle battles to save the world of Ashan from demonic chaos. Might & Magic Clash of Heroes also adopts a brand new manga-style art design that is perfectly suited to Nintendo DS. In a world populated by knights, elves, wizards, necromancers and demons, gamers can manage their own hero, customize their army and lead campaigns in the mythic Might & Magic world.

“Our fans have always appreciated the depth and richness of the Might & Magic universe,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, senior producer at Ubisoft. “The teams at Ubisoft and Capybara were inspired to extend that universe in a unique way onto DS, creating an engaging new game experience.”

Created for Might & Magic fans while also attracting new audiences, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes can be played in solo mode or shared with a friend in two-player peer-versus-peer mode.