Toronto Thumbs

Event Report
GameON: Finance 2012 – The Start-Ups

At first glance, GameON: Finance can sometimes appear stuffy for a digital media event. The amount of investors, publishers and like-minded professional men and women can seem a little daunting in contrast to the creative minds in the industry. Marketing, capital and revenue are a part of the business and without them many of those creative minds wouldn’t have the support they had aspired for their company. In a world that revolves around money, it’s sometimes not easy to maintain focus on the creative aspects of a company.

It doesn’t hurt to be a skeptic; business and creativity working hand in hand seems so unlikely. However, GOF is interesting in that while business-oriented goals are ever-present, the creative aspects of companies emerge; proving that their role in the industry is an important one. During Canadian Interactive Showcase (Presented by CMF) up-and-coming Canadian companies each had the opportunity to present a five-minute pitch sharing their project and future endeavours. With an audience of potential partners and investment opportunities at stake, this was quite the event for each of the candidates.

Curious to know what some of these showcase start-ups have created and what they hope to achieve in the future? Following is an interview with three of the participants:

• Introduction
• Cinder
• Kolody
• Era: Origins

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GameON: Finance 2009
McGuinty Government Taking Ontario’s Game Industry To The Next Level

Photo courtesy of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Flickr account

Today the Government of Ontario announced plans to bolster its already-impressive support of the province’s growing video game industry in a move that will help generate future growth and help current businesses address economic challenges.

“We are proud to support Interactive Ontario in delivering these important programs. Ontario’s digital media sector is growing quickly, and shows even greater growth potential,” Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, told attendees at GameON: Finance 2009. “As a government, we are committed to working with the industry to generate investment and create high-value jobs for Ontarians.”

With the help of a provincial investment of $605,000, Interactive Ontario will deliver the following three programs to Ontario-based companies in the areas of skills training, marketing, and investor networking:

OntheEdge is a training curriculum targeting game entrepreneurs, and will provide business skills tailored for the industry. GamesID will provide market intelligence, marketing, and promotional support to game companies by disseminating industry research and information and seeking domestic and international partnerships. Lastly, the Ontario Video Game and Digital Media Investor Network is designed to connect game and digital media developers with Canadian and international investors.

“These programs will provide Ontario video game companies with the support they need to reach their business goals,” Ian Kelso, President and CEO of Interactive Ontario, said. “As is evident at GameON: Finance, the province’s video game industry is amazingly vibrant and growing. With the convergence of highly creative companies, world-class schools, top-tier talent, and the continued support of the Government of Ontario, this province has very quickly become one of the fastest growing in the games industry.”

Interactive Ontario is an organization committed to the growth of Ontario’s digital media industry, and represents over 200 interactive digital media companies. Ontario’s digital media industry generates around $1 billion annually.

Posted in Awesome, Canada, News Bytes | No Comments »

GameON: Finance 2009 Starts Today

Interactive Ontario’s GameON: Finance 2009 starts today. The event, which is being held at The Design Exchange, is an investment forum for the interactive games industry. It seeks to connect developers, innovators, investors, and industry leaders. The schedule is packed full of excellent lectures, panels, and networking opportunities over its two-day run.

Among the speakers is Yannis Mallat (CEO, Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto) and Daniel Connors (CEO, Telltale Games). A full speaker list and complete bios can be found at www.gameonfinance.com.

Toronto Thumbs will be at GameON: Finance 2009 and will be reporting on in in the days to come. You’ll be able to view all our coverage of the event here.

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Yannis Mallat To Deliver Keynote at GameON: Finance 2009

This week, Interactive Ontario (also known as IO) announced that Yannis Mallat, CEO of Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto, will be a Keynote Speaker at GameON: Finance 2009, which takes place October 27 and 28 in Toronto.

Mallat has been CEO of Ubisoft Montreal since early 2006, and was recently also appointed CEO of the upcoming Toronto studio. He’s been named one of the 20 most influential personalities of the international video game industry by the US edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine. Mallat has also worked on an impressive number of quality games, including Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, Prince of Persia Warrior Within, and Prince of Persia The Sands of Time.

Additional speakers appearing at GameON: Finance 2009 include:

• Dan Connors, CEO, Telltale Games
• Ping Li, General Partner, Accel Partners
• Jon Mak, President, Queasy Games
• Shawn Bailey, Director, Chocolate Liberation Front
• Wade Tinney, Partner/Game Designer/Producer, Large Animal
• Hong-Yee Wong, CEO, IUGO Mobile Entertainment
• Greg Short, Executive Director, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR)

A full speaker list and complete bios can be found at www.gameonfinance.com. Tickets are still available. If you’re interested in the business of making games, I highly recommend you attend.

In related news, Toronto Thumbs has just signed on as an official media partner for GameON: Finance 2009 and will be reporting on both days of the event.

Posted in Canada, Events | No Comments »