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The Secret World reveals Hell
Last month, Massively sent freelancer François Blondin to Funcom's studio in Montreal to check out the latest and greatest from The Secret World. His original write-up from the latest Montreal event was his second look at the game, but one part was still under NDA: Hell. In this article, Frank will discuss his impressions of Hell in the game. Remember the movie Constantine with Keanu Reeves? Remember what Hell looked like there, when he stared into the cat eyes and moved to that realm? Well, this version of Hell is just like that -- with you in the middle. In The Secret World, Funcom brings us a stunning Hell, with burning winds that scorch the landscape, making things hard to see, silencing you completely when you're in the winds, and burning your precious skin to a crisp if you stand in it too long. You have to run from cover to cover to stop the damage you're taking and allow to use your abilities. But the cover is never safe; enemies are waiting for you.
A second look at The Secret World
Funcom recently held another special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. Enjoy his latest preview of the game! Last weekend, I nabbed a second look at Funcom's upcoming MMO The Secret World, now scheduled for a June 19th release. I was going in with high expectations, having been blown away by my first playtest of this modern-world-based MMO, and I'll say that this second visit managed to convince me that this game is on the right track to impress gamers with fresh gameplay, vicious puzzles, an ability wheel full of synergies, and new elite abilities at the top tiers of weapon specializations. I spent wasted a lot of time during my first visit testing out different builds, but I missed out on some content while doing that, and I realized that abilities and builds are something you'll come to naturally as you progress through the game as you earn ability points, choose where you want to go, and decide how you want to specialize. This time around, I got to spend more time exploring the game world, trying out missions, and blowing things up.%Gallery-72395%
Hands-on impressions of The Secret World
Last month, Funcom held a special hands-on event for The Secret World at its Montreal, Canada offices, where we sent freelancer François Blondin to cover all the exciting details. François also got to play the game for several hours, giving us a fresh perspective on what TSW has to offer MMO gamers. In Funcom's upcoming The Secret World, the game's three factions -- Templars, Illuminati and Dragons -- face off, compete, and collaborate (all at the same time!) amidst the nightmarish creatures being revealed throughout the world. But choose your allegiance carefully: Your faction determines your path and special bonuses for the whole game, and faction-switching won't be an option. Join me for a hands-on look at the game's current incarnation!%Gallery-72395%
NYT: Video-game companies take lucrative advantage of US tax code, especially EA
If the United States tax code were cheese, it would be more Swiss than American -- tax breaks and incentives for software development, research and technological advancement were established to promote an intellectual advantage in the US, and video-game companies are in a unique position to take full advantage of federal funding, especially EA, The New York Times reports. EA boasts $1.2 billion in global profits over the past five years -- which is technically a net loss, after deferred revenue, executive-stock-option deductions and other accounting necessities, including a payout of $98 million, cash, in taxes worldwide. The US federal tax rate on any company is 35 percent, but that's before the creative accounting. In 2004, EA hired Glen Kohl, formerly an employee of the Treasury Department under President Clinton, to make the most of its tax incentivies. Kohl has since lobbied for federal tax breaks on domestic production and established offshore subsidiaries in low-tax countries. EA now has 50 offshore subsidiaries in countries such as Bermuda, Singapore and Mauritius, and holds $1.3 billion in offshore funds that won't be taxed unless brought into the US. EA spokesman Jeff Brown justified EA's monetary exportation as a consequence of running an international business:
Report: Square Enix to expand Eidos Montreal, add 350 employees by 2015
Do you still find it difficult to reconcile the critically adored, Western-developed Deus Ex: Human Revolution with the Square Enix logo on the game's packaging? You'll get over it in the coming years, as La Presse Affaires reports that Eidos Montréal aims to double in size and accomodate 350 additional employees by 2015. Though Square Enix has yet to officially announce such plans, the report states that a tentative agreement has been made between the Japanese company (which acquired Eidos in 2009) and financier Investissement Québec. The deal, when solidified, will grant tax credits and a $2 million subsidy to Square. Earlier reports suggested that Square would establish a new studio once talks with several Canadian provincial governments had concluded. According to La Presse, it has opted to boost its existing Eidos location from 330 to 680 employees over the next four years. Square will reportedly increase staff count by 100 toward the end of 2012. This news bodes well for Eidos Montréal's two current projects, particularly for Th14f. One of those 680 employees should be able to come up with a proper logo. [Thanks, Phillipe.]
Wall-E gets a LEGO Mindstorms NXT makeover, tears up the dance floor (video)
Alright, let's all be upfront here. When you saw this Pixar masterpiece you caught yourself thinking, "Destruction of the Earth? Not so bad... if that means I get my own Wall-E." It's ok, other more robotically-adept Quebecers had the same idea. Except they managed to mix it up with a LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit and create a waste-collecting romantic of their own -- sans the devastation of our world. The brainchild of Montreal-based creator Marc-André Bazergui, project w.5 incorporates six NXT bricks, 17 motors and over a thousand parts that let the lovelorn bot reanimate his motorized chassis back into our hearts. It's an impressive feat you can watch below, but note the video has been sped up -- you didn't expect building bricks to move that fast, did you?
Canadian Game Development Talent Awards announced
The Alliance numérique is a Canadian digital industry network that's putting together, in conjunction with the Canadian Interactive Alliance, the first-ever Canadian Game Development Talent Awards. This ceremony will honor Canadian finalists and winners in a number of different categories around video gaming, putting a spotlight on the creative talent available in America's neighbors to the north. The Canadian video game industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Not only is the audience surprisingly large up there, but Pierre Proulx, General Manager of Alliance numérique, says that Canada is "now the third most important cluster in terms of video game development in the world," presumably after Japan and the United States. The awards ceremony is being chaired by developer Jason Della Rocca, and will take place on November 2, 2011 at the Montreal International Game Summit. You can see the full announcent after the break.
Ubisoft prevents THQ from hiring more of its Montreal employees with court order
The Superior Court of Quebec has granted Ubisoft an injunction that prevents THQ from obtaining any more of Ubisoft's employees in ye olde city of Montreal. Game Informer (following up on a report by Rue Frontenac) received an official statement from Ubisoft, in which the publisher requested that the court place an injunction order on THQ based on the "non-solicit clause" included in Ubisoft Montreal employee contracts. "This procedure aims to protect Ubisoft Montreal in a breach of contract situation," said the statement, "and to defend the long-term financial and creative health of the studio." Translation: Ubisoft hit the panic button following a talent drain that started when creative bigwig Patrice Desilets left Ubisoft to form his team at THQ Montreal, which included several other Ubisoft folks. In obtaining the injunction, Ubisoft even used a Joystiq article from January as evidence of a breach of contract. In that post, THQ exec Danny Bilson admits to hiring three Ubisoft employees (who were bound to a non-compete clause) on retainer. Given that several major publishers are moving to Canada, THQ is just one of Ubisoft's home turf concerns. Ubisoft probably has the lawyers working overtime to legally add a "restraining order clause" to employee contracts, forcing them to stay 100 meters away from any competitors' employee.
Homefront franchise to be co-developed by THQ Montreal: 'Manhattan is an incredibly expensive place'
As heavily hinted at in comments made by Homefront devs Kaos Studios and publisher THQ eariler this year, it looks like the future of the franchise won't be created solely in The Big Apple. Senior VP of Core Studios Dave Davis spoke to the THQ Montreal/Kaos Studios collaboration during a studio head roundtable this afternoon at GDC. "Wherever the talent is, we will have our studios," Davis told us, though he admitted that "Manhattan is an incredibly expensive place." Yeah, we know all about it, Dave. He also added, "There isn't a [critical mass] talent pool -- many of the people we have there are imported to NYC." That said, he doesn't see Kaos shutting its doors as its employees relocate to The Great White North. In fact, Kaos has already worked with the Montreal studio (in a relatively cursory sense) on the first game in the franchise. "When finishing Homefront, we had about 10-11 people who helped shipped the original Homefront. And that was talent that we got from Montreal that we couldn't get anywhere else," Davis said. He further assured us that "We're trying to do the best thing for the product and the best thing for the studio, and going forward there will definitely be collaboration." What's not clear is if collaboration means consolidation in this case.
Funcom calls The Secret World release date a "misunderstanding"
Did you know that Funcom's The Secret World was due to release "in the next few months?" We didn't either, nor apparently did Funcom despite a published report to the contrary in The Montreal Gazette. The article touches on Funcom's relationship with Electronic Arts and its disappointment with Age of Conan's performance relative to World of Warcraft's. It also intimates that The Secret World (developed at the company's Montreal studio) is nearing completion. "This must have been a misquote or a misunderstanding of some sorts. We have never communicated a release date for The Secret World," said a Funcom spokesperson in a statement to Eurogamer earlier today. Development on The Secret World is ongoing, and the game features a co-mingling of contemporary horror, conspiracy, and fantasy elements with Lovecraftian themes and skill-based progression.
Warner Bros. Montreal focusing on lower-budget social, mobile games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's new Montreal studio won't be working on triple-A console games, but will instead focus on smaller social and mobile titles, with a budget under $10 million per project. Speaking to LaPresseAffaires (Google translation), Montreal studio head Martin Carrier said that WBI-oui originally considered online games to be a secondary market, before the company realized the niche was "growing." Hmmm ... we wonder where execs got that idea? Reportedly, some employees and recruits haven't been so peachy keen on the studio's en vogue direction. Of course, in Montreal, there are still actual places where game devs can work on big-budget games. See: Ubisoft, EA and most-recently THQ.
Artificial Mind and Movement rebrands; (re)introducing Behaviour Interactive
You may not know the name "Artificial Mind and Movement" but its one of the oldest and largest independent game developers working today and also the oldest operating developer in gaming superhub Montreal. A2M, as it's been called, began work on original IP, creating Jersey Devil for the PlayStation in 1998. But back then it was known as Behaviour Interactive and, beginning today, it will be Behaviour Interactive once again. We spoke with CEO and founder Rémi Racine about the name change, what it means for his studio and its goal of becoming a consumer-facing developer instead of a business-facing work-for-hire studio. "We're trying to do more and more of our own IP," Racine told Joystiq. "Our name becomes more and more present to the game community when you do your own stuff, so that triggered the change" to Behaviour Interactive. "Because of Wet and Naughty Bear and the Wanako brand and Assault Heroes, we're moving more and more into our own IP."
Ubisoft brings online middleware dev Quazal into its brotherhood
On a bit of a spending spree this week, Ubisoft today added Montreal-based Quazal Technologies to the family. Creator of multiplayer middleware and services, Quazal has worked with Ubisoft for a number of years, and its products power components in a range of the publisher's titles, including this month's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the last three Splinter Cell games and Far Cry 2. "We're happy to be able to continue to express our creative vision via the projects we'll be working on with Ubisoft," Quazal co-founder Martin Lavoie said in a press announcement. Ubisoft has plenty to be happy about, too. While no representative stood up and said as much, executives were no doubt preparing to bathe in a fresh pool of licensing loot. Quazel tech is all up in plenty of other companies' games, after all.
Watch: THQ Montreal studio announcement and press conference
It's an exciting time for THQ. The company announced a new studio and Ubisoft vet, Patrice Désilets, has joined the squad. To relive all the drama, excitement and soft-spoken executives who were in Montreal earlier this week, head past the break for the conference in full. Profitez-en! %Gallery-105621%
Rogers' budget-friendly chatr brand launches in Canada
We knew it was coming, and now it's official: Rogers Wireless has today launched its entry-level "chatr" wireless brand for Canadians everywhere -- and by "everywhere," we mean Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa (Montreal is coming soon, as is possibly elsewhere). Two plans are available: $45 monthly for unlimited talk-and-text and $35 for unlimited talk and 50 free texts. As of now, the official website's showing four devices to choose from, available at full price only (no subsidizing). On the low end, relatively speaking, there's the Nokia 1661 candybar for $60, followed by the LG GB125R flip for $75, the Nokia 2680 portrait QWERTY slider for $95, and Samsung's Gravity landscape QWERTY slider sitting at the top of the chain for $130. Rogers -- whose name appears nowhere in Chatr's branding so far -- expects "hundreds" of chatr kiosks to be rolled out at Future Shops, Best Buys, Costcos, and other retail outlets. The brand will compete with other budget-conscious options from the likes of Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, but this one's got the advantage of Rogers' more established, wider-reaching network. According to The Globe and Mail and CBC News, Wind will be offering a whopping $150 credit for those who switch to its network from Rogers / chatr. Mobilicity's chairman John Bitove has a different strategy altogether, threatening to complain to the Competition Bureau that Rogers' possible goal here is to drive other discount phone brands out of business before dissolving chatr and leaving the market with only a higher-priced segment. And if you were wondering where Telus and Bell Mobility stand, well, both companies are reportedly expected to follow suit with entry-level brands of their own. Data plan-averse Canadians should have quite the selection from which to choose.
Rumor: Apple's iTravel being previewed in other markets
Last week, Patently Apple got a hint of a new app/service from Apple called iTravel, an official app that would allow you to make and check-in travel reservations with just your iPhone. Apparently it's farther along than we thought, because a new app co-sponsored by Apple in a Montreal newspaper appears to show off the app itself, including an on-screen seat display while checking in, a "My Flights" section for flight tracking, and a "Find Flight" search button. [Mmm, egg. Our Canadian cousins have written in to point out that the app featured in the newspaper ad is not a secret Apple travel app, but is in fact the real world, maple-syrup-and-curling enabled Air Canada app. Demerits to PA and 9to5 for misreading and to us for falling for the mixup. –Ed.] PA suggests this is all being done in time for something called the Travel Distribution Summit on June 17, but I can think of another conference in June that might have Apple showing off new official applications. It's not 100% clear that the app in the ad is a brand new app by Apple, but in addition to the Concert Ticket+ patent that appeared a while back, it's a safe guess that Apple is cooking up some new utility software. We'll have to keep eyes out during WWDC and see what we can find. [via 9to5Mac]
Report: Warner Bros. Interactive opening Montreal studio
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is the latest company to take advantage of Canada's talent (and yummy, yummy tax incentives) for game developers and publishers. GameFocus reports that WBIE (WBI-oui?) will open a new studio in Montreal that will be lead by division president Martin Tremblay and employ over 300 people. The studio will be known as WB Games Montreal. We've contacted WBIE for comment on the new studio, but the publisher has yet to make a formal announcement. In a previous professional life, Tremblay was the big fromage at Vivendi and Ubisoft Montreal. The executive also apparently claimed that the publisher would open a studio in another city soon. That could be a new studio, or it could be a developer WB has invested in, like Turbine -- or a solid developer that's recently tripped into some eye-catching success. Update: The province of Quebec has made it official.
Funcom Games Canada hires new CEO and plans to expand
2009 wasn't the best year to be in the business of making games, to the point where some of us weren't expecting good news like a major publisher hiring new people -- but it's happening. And it's not a small hiring push, either, aiming in the 100-150 range. That's the latest news from Funcom, whose recently opened Canadian studio has appointed a new CEO for the division. Miguel Caron is going to be in charge of building up the staff of Funcom Games Canada, as well as overseeing the studio during the development of The Secret World -- according to Ragnar Tornquist, the Montreal-based expansion will play a key role in the game's development. Even if you aren't looking forward to The Secret World, however, it's excellent to have news of a company not facing security trouble, layoffs, or shutdowns. Although the timeframe for the expected hirings is a year and a half, that's still a lot of work being generated by Funcom, which is a boon to both their existing games and their newfound plans of focusing on the casual gaming market. Let's hope this kicks off a trend of more positive news for the industry this year. We certainly need it.
THQ to open new Montreal studio
The city of Montreal can add another gaming studio to its ranks, as THQ has announced plans for its biggest studio yet: THQ Montreal. The new development house will focus on "creating core games for THQ" and assisting with titles developed by the company's other studios worldwide. THQ Montreal is expected to create some 400 new jobs in the Quebec province, with THQ's Paradigm Entertainment head, Dave Gatchel, overseeing operations when the studio opens in mid-2010. THQ VP Steve DeCosta says it's not just the tax breaks that make Montreal such an appealing place to set up shop, but also the talent pool in the region -- sentiments shared by neighboring Ontario minister Sandra Pupatello.
Report: Funcom cutting 20 percent of staff, The Secret World delayed
According to a report from Norwegian news site E24, Funcom recently announced in a stock exchange briefing that it would be cutting 20 percent of its staff and, as a result, would delay the launch of The Secret World by a few months. Following this announcement, the company's stock took a sizable 18 percent dip -- as did our hearts, which became somewhat infatuated with the developer's mysterious MMO at the Penny Arcade Expo. This news is somewhat confusing considering the company decided to open a brand new Montreal chapter earlier this month, where it was planning on hiring more than 100 people over the next year and a half. We've contacted Funcom to find out the reason for the cuts, and to see if this new studio will be affected. [Via Edge Online]