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17 Canadian Companies Receive Over $12M For Interactive Digital Media Projects

Canada Media Fund [1]The Canada Media Fund [1] (CMF) has announced that 17 interactive digital media projects received a total of $12.1M in funding as part of the first round of production support from the Experimental Stream.  The Experimental Stream encourages the creation of innovative, interactive digital media content and software applications.

Consumers will be able to enjoy a variety of interactive digital media since 10 are games, five are interactive platforms, one is a social media project, and one is a website. Of the 17 projects, 11 had received development support from the CMF in previous rounds of experimental funding. Including this round of funding, the CMF has already provided more than $81M in production funding to 144 projects since it was created in 2010. Production support provides funding for the creation of a final, market-ready version of an eligible project and preliminary marketing and commercialization activities.

Supported Projects:
Cali – Minority Media Inc. $676,282
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Downloadable
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Set in an advanced civilization long before the Conquistadors arrived in the Amazon, Cali is an adventure game developed for iOS, Android and the Cloud. It tells the story of Massi, a teenager caught up with his peers for the Sacred Rite, a centuries-old tradition that sends the strongest adolescent boys to the Second Sun. In a tragic mix of circumstances, Massi is separated from the group. As Massi, players will navigate to the Second Sun with the help of Cali, a beautiful and mysterious creature called a pixan, with features of both a majestic butterfly and shy human girl. And while Cali is the secret to Massi’s future success, there is a deadly reason why she cannot, or will not, help.

 

Chalice QSI – 8083673 Canada Inc. $737,353
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : English
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Rich interactive media
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Chalice is a groundbreaking innovation in mobile narrative for iOS. Weaving together text, sound, music, illustration and revolutionary interactive video, it tells the epic story of five strangers, drawn together by a mysterious steampunk device called The Lantern, only to find themselves caught between love and loss, science and magic, gaslight and shadow. It is powered by a radical new video platform, Quantum Storytelling Interface, a truly disruptive revolution in how linear video is produced and consumed, integrating game mechanics directly into the movie experience in a way that’s never been done before. Designed exclusively for the iPad, QSI gives you the freedom to craft your own interactive narrative experience through Chalice’s linear, live-action story. Enhanced by hours of additional immersive multimedia content and a physics-based, gestural interface, it will quickly have you enthralled by a nail-biting mystery as the characters race to complete their quest.

 

Clandestine: Anomaly – ZenFri Inc. $710,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Manitoba
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Clandestine: Anomaly is an epic sci-fi adventure game for iOS and Android mobile devices. It is a lower defence role playing game (RPG) that leverages Augmented Reality) and GPS technology to create a groundbreaking, unique and immersive gaming experience. Players will use their mobile devices to detect and assemble technology, coordinate campaigns, defend against attacks, neutralize enemies and interact in real-time with human and non-human characters. Clandestine: Anomaly takes sci-fi characters and uses Augmented Reality to have the game take place in the player’s own world—literally, the player’s own neighbourhood, anywhere in the world. To date, no other game has used Augmented Reality & GPS in this way.

 

CodeRunner:2 – RocketChicken Interactive Inc. $625,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : English
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
CodeRunner 2 is a location-based social mobile game for iOS. Players become agents in the Orwellian Department of Privacy and cooperate with each other to unravel a sinister international conspiracy. Players accomplish mission objectives by visiting real-world locations and collecting and sharing time-sensitive data with other players. As players grow their intel collections, details of an organized resistance to the Department emerge, causing players to question their own motives and the motives of the Department for whom they work.

 

Eon Altar – Eon Altar Productions Inc. $730,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : English
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Downloadable
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Eon Altar is a new cooperative role-playing adventure for iOS and Android that blends the experience of classic tabletop gaming and modern video games in a tabletop video game. Five friends fight through dungeons to uncover ancient secrets and compete for glory and wealth. Using personal handsets to control your character’s actions, with a tablet to follow the adventure through dungeons as a group, players undertake a cinematic journey unlike anything ever before in a tabletop setting. Through turn-based action and fast-paced combat challenges, each player will build a legendary hero. Collect gear, earn new abilities, battle monstrous creatures and overcome environmental dangers.

 

Flingimals Circus – Behaviour Interactif Inc. $974,947
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Flingimals Circus is a social game for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets  that allows players to create their own virtual circus and put on shows under the big top. The basic premise requires manual dexterity and fast reflexes to control and toss creatures known as “Flingimals” by way of a variety of touchscreen commands (sliding, tapping, etc.). But the most compelling feature of the game is its creativity. Using an easy-to-navigate interface, players are called upon to come up with multi-act or multi-level circus shows and to constantly improve them to share with their friends and to earn rewards.

 

Le Photographe – inconnu Turbulent Media Inc. $312,500
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Rich interactive media
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Hundreds of photographs from World War I were found in an abandoned workshop in Québec’s Laurentian region. Who was the mystery photographer behind the camera? Users are invited to take part in a quest that is part game, part documentary, and in so doing get a behind-the-scenes look at wartime Canada, discover the role our country played in the Great War and contemplate some of the universal issues associated with armed conflict. Developed for iOS and Android tablets, Le Photographe inconnu boasts an immersive, fully touchscreen-enabled interface that revolutionizes the tablet experience. With leading-edge infinite zoom and gesture-based features, the application displays a seemingly endless stream of photographs that users can explore in countless ways. Even the narration changes, adapting to the users’ actions. In no time, they will become completely engulfed in the seamless display that makes the content uniquely real and tangible and brings this turning point in our collective history to life.

 

LinguaTrack – iSpeaky Inc. $737,002
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Rich interactive media
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Lingua Track is a series of mobile applications for iOS tablets and smartphones featuring a powerful algorithmic model that allows the assembly and dynamic presentation of learning content adapted to the cognitive profile of the user. The applications detect and analyze each user’s strengths and weaknesses in Canada’s two official languages for the purpose of accelerating the acquisition of language skills and ultimately strengthening the bonds of the country’s economic and social fabric. The innovative technologies developed as part of this project can be adapted to any knowledge-related field where preliminary skills assessment and cognitive diagnosis are needed. The versatility of Lingua Track’s learning content will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the Canadian labour market from the point of view of training, competitiveness and productivity.

 

MEG-9 – Skunkwerks Kinetic Industries Inc. $744,188
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
MEG-9 is a (MMORTS) video game for iOS featuring vast, seamless worlds to explore, and a narrative framework that blurs the line between fiction and reality. Basic gameplay involves players piloting a user-built, customizable vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with its own MEG-unit, a robotic-companion ready to perform varied and complex tasks. The character advancement system involves strategic vehicle design via an extensive parts inventory. Players must make use of their combat skills, tactical foresight, and entrepreneurialism in order to traverse the game’s vast landscape and secure its mysterious artifacts. Players can construct defences and fortify regions of interest or high strategic value. Ambitious players may even choose to become autonomous, setting up player-controlled areas and economies.

 

Mobs – Frima Studio Inc. $749,292
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Downloadable
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
That is exactly why the mad scientists in Mobs created the Mobs, an artificially engineered race of cute laboratory test subject used as cannon fodder in the unpredictable field of crowd behaviour research. Through turn-based action and fast-paced combat challenges, each player will build a legendary hero. Collect gear, earn new abilities, battle monstrous creatures and overcome environmental dangers. With Mobs, Frima aspires to create a strong new brand specifically designed to offer an innovative and fun cross-platform (website/iOS/Android) free-to-play gaming experience for tablets and computers.

 

Octoforce – Spearhead Games $1,000,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Downloadable
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Octoforce is a free2play online competitive eSport game for consoles and websites. Two teams of four players battle on a playing field, using jet packs and unique physics-driven powers to score points by striking a ball into the opponent’s goal. The game’s core mechanics deliver a very fresh and addictive game experience. The game brings two core mechanics: innovation in the accessibility of the game, making it very easy for gamers and non-gamers; innovation in promoting in-game participation of spectators. The result is an outstanding deep and fresh game-play experience each and every time. The game is targeted for digital distribution though various first party networks and mobile devices.

 

Papercade – Hololabs Studio Inc. $225,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Papercade is a creative social sandbox game for playing, building and sharing player-created game-worlds. In Papercade you can build your own game levels and mini-games by arranging 2D shapes and digital photographs inside 3D paper dioramas for iOS and Android platforms. You can customize the rules so that each one is a different experience. Publish your mini-games to your own personal arcade where they can be enjoyed by friends, followers, or the entire Papercade community. The goal in Papercade is to construct the greatest arcade of all time. The more games you play and build, the more tokens you earn. Spend tokens on special effects, new characters and decorative models to further personalize your creations. By mixing creative social platforms like Instagram with sandbox game-creation titles like LittleBigPlanet, Papercade offers a new and playful experience for mobile gamers and creators alike.

 

Plateforme RealMotion – 4459202 Canada inc. $628,057
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : English
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : Quebec
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Rich interactive media
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Float4 Interactive is fast becoming a force to be reckoned within the interactive media industry, thanks to its RealMotion platform, a comprehensive, integrated solution for the rapid prototyping, design and deployment of next-generation immersive interactive environments. The RealMotion interface is simple and straightforward, allowing novices to create complex interactive applications in mere minutes, yet sophisticated and powerful enough for more experienced programmers looking to push the bounds of technology to develop new interactive approaches and one-of-a-kind immersive experiences. The system boasts gaming-worthy real-time rendering quality, a high level of interoperability, advanced interactive capabilities, scalable technology and an unprecedented degree of automation within the multimedia industry. There is simply nothing else like it in today’s market.

 

Social Scrapbooks – 900feet Technology Inc. $723,165
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Social media
Delivery Method : Website
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Social Scrapbook is a location-based analytics and visualization website that publishes its results in an interactive web magazine format. Anyone is able to monitor and curate social media activity at any location, and visualize any data in a location context. Unlock insights about audiences and locations by revealing who, what, when, why and where social media is happening.

 

The Long – Dark Hinterland Studio Inc. $697,414
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : English
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Game
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
In the not-too-distant future, a catastrophic geomagnetic “superstorm” wipes out Earth’s entire technology infrastructure, thrusting humanity into a kind of second “dark age.” While not the end of the world, it’s the end of the world as we know it. A new kind of mid-core game experience designed exclusively for the iPad (iOS), The Long Dark immerses players in a game of desperate survival in a 2D open world, where their choices and actions will play a role in determining what humanity’s future will become. A hybrid of simulation and role-playing games (RPG), The Long Dark features deep exploration, survival gameplay, mature storytelling, and innovative survival dynamics, and offers an accessible experience with mature content and rich, core gameplay features. How far will you go to survive?

 

Viewpon – Zeros 2 Heroes Media Inc. $825,800
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : None
Delivery Method : Website
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Viewpon is a digital social-buying solution for the Web as an alternate distribution mechanism for film. Viewpon’s intelligent system, powered by TYM’s Qdup data aggregation platform, is the key to our innovative approach to audience analysis and recommendations. In partnership with Emerging Pictures, the world’s largest all-digital theatrical distribution company, Viewpon serves three specific user types: Curators (managers of independent “art house” theatres that need to fill seats); Consumers (“kickstarting” ardent movie fans that want to “pull in” preferred film content that is hard to find on the big screen); and Creators (independent filmmakers who want a socially-powered Do It Yourself distribution solution). Viewpon will be a scalable, profitable, audience-driven application that changes the way movies find an audience and enable fans to see films the way they were meant to be seen—with friends, in theatres, on the big screen.

Windy and Friends – Loud Crow Interactive Inc. $1,000,000
Fiscal year : 2013-2014
Program : Experimental
Language : Bilingual
Activity : Production
Genre : N/A
Envelope : N/A
Region : British Columbia
Platform : Digital Media
Content type : Rich interactive media
Delivery Method : Application
Selection Round : 1
Status : Decision
Windy and Friends is an immensely popular series of Canadian children’s books that tell simple stories of charming characters from a lovingly handcrafted and photographed world. Still-frame photographic interactivity has never been done before. Using layered photography, cinemagraphs, and techniques of parallax, stop-motion, and physics skeuomorphism, we breathe life into Windy and Friends, taking parents and children alike on an adventure into a tactile magical world that stimulates the imagination. The episodes are targeted towards children aged 3 to 6 with musical interactivity and educational features such as word highlighting, word touch, and collectible word flash cards tailored specifically for the age group. All episodes will be released in both English and French for iOS and Android.

Earlier this month, the CMF announced that for projects receiving production support, the innovation and production team criteria were assessed by the following jury [2] of Canadian and international industry specialists:

  • Wendy Bernfeld (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
  • Sylvain Carle (San Francisco, USA)
  • Suzanne Lortie (Montreal, Canada)
  • Siobhan O’Flynn (Toronto, Canada)
  • Sylvain Perron (Montreal, Canada)
  • Adam Sigel (Los Angeles, USA)
  • Michelle Sklar (Calgary, Canada)
  • Patrice Slupowski (Paris, France)
  • Rogerio Soares (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

In the next few weeks, the CMF will announce projects receiving funds for development support and marketing support from the Experimental Stream.

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1 Comment To "17 Canadian Companies Receive Over $12M For Interactive Digital Media Projects"

#1 Comment By Tami Quiring (@VillageGamer) On Thursday July 18, 2013 @ 5:04 am

17 Canadian Companies Receive Over $12M From @CMF_FMC For Interactive Digital Media Projects [7] #eyeoncanada #wecreatebc