Ecobuddies is a Massive Multiplayer Onlne Game based on an ecological theme that hopes to reach a goal of a $500 million valuation (based on the companies already on the market, like Club Penguin and NeoPets).
Ecobuddies aims to fill a niche in the MMOG space, since there are very few games aimed at young children. The site will be "safe, secure and sanitized," so that parents can introduce the site to their children with no worry of inappropriate content (the intended demographic is 5 to 12 year olds). The site will also be ad-free, instead using micro-payments to generate revenue.
Ecobuddies is also the only MMOG to combine green themes and eco systems within a virtual world, such as characters driving in electric cars and using windmills in their virtual houses.
The website is currently in the testing phase, with the revenue stage about to begin.
EcoBuddies Interactive Ltd. is a Vancouver-based company that recently launched its same-named website at www.ecobuddies.com. Ecobuddies’ goal is... [more]
While this is hardly news to anyone in our building, the Vancouver Sun's Marke Andrews wrote today about Seattle's Big Fish Games opening a Vancouver studio. Their new Yaletown digs are one floor down in 1122 Mainland and currently have just four employees - but has room for almost 50. That's a good thing considering their growth trajectory.
Since beginning in 2002 with one employee -- founder Paul Thelen -- the company has had revenue growth of between 100 and 220 per cent per annum. Big Fish Games reported revenues of $8.6 million in 2005, $24.1 million in 2006 and $50.8 million in 2007, and employee numbers have grown from 35 to 310.
Management strategically choose Vancouver as a way to attract people from the city's "strong game development talent cluster" and they expect the local studio to grow to about 25 to 30 employees by summer. It looks like they were even more strategic with their office choice. Their windows face EA's new Yaletown space - look out for guerilla-style 'It's after 5pm, why are you still working? BigFish.com' recruiting signs soon.
Want to be part of the Next Generation of games development? EA is the leading developer for next gen games and looking for passionate gamers who... [more]
Big Fish Games is a global leader and innovator in the online games industry, producing and delivering the world's best games and game experiences.... [more]
The gaming industry has proven to be pretty resilient to economic downturns, especially around this time of the year when holiday shopping kicks in and the latest game titles are stacked under the Christmas tree.
Maybe not in 2008. Vancouver's Electronic Arts (EA) announced last week that they're laying off 6% of their workforce (approx. 600 employees) thanks to lowered financial projections. But wait, EA claims this round of job cuts are unrelated to the economic downturn but instead were part of the company's recent cost-cutting measures. Not sure if that makes the news better or worse.
Borrowing an analogy from the commercial real estate industry, EA is the anchor tenant of the Vancouver gaming community - if they move out, the whole mall could fail. This kind of cost-cutting and short term caution likely doesn't bode well for EA's future of producing brand new IP either. Let's hope last week's news doesn't cause a ripple effect amongst Vancouver smaller shops.
Image credit: Frank Caron of ars technica.
Want to be part of the Next Generation of games development? EA is the leading developer for next gen games and looking for passionate gamers who... [more]
Calgary Technologies 9th Annual Tech Showcase packed the house last night at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre (ARTC). This year’s event highlighted over 40 local Technology Companies, and proves that even during turbulent global economic times, Calgary’s technology sector is diverse, growing, and always up for a party!
This year’s Tech Showcase had a new attraction – Pitch Corner. Six exciting companies took centre stage to show off who they are, what they do, and why it’s cool. Each company had 7 minutes to deliver their presentations, which included demos, graphics, prototypes, bells, whistles, and even some PowerPoint. Democamp Calgary’s fabulous Sarah Blue MC’d the Pitch Corner, and helped presenters keep their cool amid some interesting technical challenges.
Presenters included:
Also new this year, the soothing sounds of Jazz! As you sipped a glass of chewy Shiraz, or in my case a cold Traditional Ale, the Rick Climans Jazz Trio could be heard above the noise of the 400+ attendees. There were some great networking opportunities (Calgary’s Mayor, Dave Bronconnier, even made an appearance!) and I’m sure there are many people scrambling this morning to follow up on the contacts made last night!
Calgary Technologies Inc. (CTI) works with entrepreneurs to help them accelerate the success of their technology company, and looks for... [more]
Share the web as YOU see it! You can add notes, drop speech bubbles, place stickers and more on top of any web page and share your Tynt with... [more]
Psyko Audio Labs is developing headphones for computer and console gamers. The technology delivers highly accurate directional audio so that you... [more]
Our goal is to inspire the world to learn. But that inspiration must start with you. Be inspired. And let that inspiration flow through everything... [more]
Today Electronic Arts cuts its full-year profit forecast due to a delay in the latest Harry Potter video game and its stock fell 14 percent. They also announced that they plan to cut about 6 percent of their workforce in response to slowing sales. The company said it would save about $50 million annually from the cost cutting action.
EA's ranks are currently 9,671 employees strong and there was no indication as to which business areas would be trimmed.
Want to be part of the Next Generation of games development? EA is the leading developer for next gen games and looking for passionate gamers who... [more]
This panel featured a discussion on where / how to get financing for your gaming start-up.
Panelists:
Key points:
Overall, the advice for gaming start-ups seemed to be to seek initial funding from friends/family, seek out government funding options like the tax credits and IRAP and seek strategic partners/publishers to get off the ground.
GameON Finance 2.0 conference wrapped up in Toronto yesterday. It brought together 100+ people from the gaming industry: entrepreneurs, investors, professional service providers and industry leaders. It was held at the swanky Grand Ballroom of 1 King West in downtown Toronto.
The full day of panel discussions and presentations explored topics such as gaming companies business models, financing options for gaming start-ups, angel investment in Canada and economic motivations behind games based on different forms of intellectual property. Networking options for the delegates included 1-on-1 10 minute sessions with other delegates, including some of the speakers. Check out the follow-up posts from some of the sessions I attended.
Overall a fun, informative and useful event, especially for those in the gaming industry. Kudos to Interactive Ontario for putting it together. Their next event would be in March '09 - Interactive Content Exchange (ICE) at the Carlu in Toronto.
Presentation: Key Gaming Industry Trends and Market Overview
Presenter: Wanda Meloni, President & Senior Technology Analyst, DFC Intelligence
Key points:
This panel featured a discussion on angel funding for gaming start-ups in Canada.
Moderator: Nathon Gunn, CEO, Bitcasters
Panelists:
Key points:
This evening at a gala celebration in downtown Seattle, PopCap Games introduced their newest title Bejeweled Twist. Their first new Bejeweled title in almost fours years, Bejeweled Twist puts a completely new spin on the top-selling puzzle game that PopCap pioneered eight years ago. For those of you unfamiliar with the Bejeweled franchise, it is the most popular casual game of the 21st century with more than 350 million copies downloaded and over 25 million units sold.
John Cook of TechFlash interviewed PopCap co-founder Jason Kapalka in advance of tonight's release at the Experience Musci Project in Seattle and got the inside scoop.
Bejeweled Twist removes the barriers of traditional match-3 games. Instead of swapping adjacent jewels to make a set, players rotate an entire 2x2 block of gems clockwise in an effort to create a line of three or more gems of the same type. Further, in Bejeweled Twist players don't have to make a match with every move – instead they can freely rotate gems anywhere on the board, allowing far greater liberty of movement and vastly increased strategic freedom to plan combinations, cascades and chains.
Bejeweled Twist is available now for PC via online download at www.popcap.com, with online partners such as MSN Games, RealArcade, Zylom, WildTangent ORB, Telstra and STEAM offering the game on November 18th. On that same date, Bejeweled Twist will arrive on shelves at leading North American retail chains including Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Target carrying a North American retail price of US$19.99.
PopCap Games was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka, who learned their trade working for Internet game companies like Flipside and pogo.com. As the Internet boom was busting, the three decided to stake their futures on creating good-lookin', simple games that folks could play on the Web and PopCap Games was born. PopCap is currently 180 employees strong.
It all started in 2000 with John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka, who learned their trade working for Internet game companies like Flipside... [more]
