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Microsoft confirms Windows 8 will reach RTM stage in August, consumers in October
Speaking during Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference keynote in Toronto, Corporate VP and CFO Tami Reller announced that the software giant will release Windows 8 to manufacturers next month. She also confirmed the previous October ship target -- that being the timeframe that consumers can expect to pick up a Windows 8-equipped machine, or presumably upgrade from a previous version of the OS. There's not much to report beyond that -- manufacturers will see Windows 8 next month, while the rest of us will need to hang tight until the fall.
Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry screeches into Canada
Hear that, Toronto-based readers? That's the sound of Porsche Design's P'9981 BlackBerry doing donuts at a store near you (well, relatively speaking). Fresh from satisfying many a midlife crisis in London, the luxury phone is now available in Canada via the fancy Porsche Design boutique store in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood, according to MobileSyrup. Folks willing to pay the pinky-raising premium price of $1,899 essentially get a BlackBerry 7 OS phone featuring upscale Porsche Design touches like a metal keyboard, stainless steel frame and leather-wrapped back cover. Still need to do some tire kicking? No worries -- you can take the phone out for a virtual test drive with our P'9981 review.
Ubisoft planning to expand Toronto studio to 800 employees within 10 years
Ubisoft Montreal, as we've reported before, is a huge video game outfit with a large team of developers coordinating multiple projects at a time, across up to six different studios. Ubisoft wants to repeat that structure in its new Toronto studio, according to the Financial Post. The French company is adding over 600 employees to the current staff of 210 over the next 10 years, which means an investment of over $500 million in that time.That has big ramifications, not only for Ubisoft's future as a publisher and developer, but for Toronto's Wallace Avenue neighborhood as well (where these employees will live, work, and spend all of this money). As for the studio itself, it's currently at work on five upcoming Ubisoft titles, including the next Splinter Cell. As more and more is invested in the operation there, that list will probably grow.
Capy posts ideas from its internal game jam, and they all sound pretty good
Given the talent of the folks at Capy Software (who've made the excellent Critter Crunch, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, and most of the programming behind Sword and Sworcery), you'd expect them to prototype an interesting game in less time than it takes some to develop a full game. You're partially right -- they made seven.All seven games from Capy's internal game jam are now listed over on the company blog, and to a title they all sound pretty good. The Final Act has the player acting on stage to win a battle, Ferret Wings features Captain Farris the Ferret fighting against Adolph Hamster, and Jetman Adventures (above) is described as "a kind of touch screen Panzer Dragoon/Defender hybrid with Fruit Ninja influence." Yes please!Unfortunately, these are just prototypes developed over the two-day period of a game jam, so they're all unfinished (one turn-based tactical game, for example, didn't get any further than having just one unit), and most likely unplayable by the public. But one of these might plant a seed for Capy's next title, and when that flower blossoms we'll be happy to stick our noses right in it.
Bell begins rolling out LTE network today to trial markets
When we reported that Bell's LTE network would be deploying "soon," the company happily obliged by launching it less than two weeks later. Beginning today, the Canadian carrier will have its next-gen services available to a limited number of markets, including Toronto, Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph and Mississauga. The deployment will spread over the course of the next year, though no specific plans were mentioned aside from the obvious expansion to urban areas first, followed by rural and remote coverage as determined by the outcome of the country's upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. Sadly, the only device available at launch -- contrary to our original report -- will be the Sierra Wireless U313 Turbo Stick, available online today for $80, though "smartphones and tablets" should be expected to arrive later this year. Head to the presser for more details. [Thanks, gjac0m]
Capybara, Metanet helping to develop Sound Shapes
This morning, while thoroughly enjoying a preview of Queasy Games' next project, Sound Shapes for the PlayStation Vita, I had a chance to chat with project leads Jonathan Mak and Shaw-Han Liem. Given Mak's past with game development (Everyday Shooter), I wondered how much his team had grown since its first Sony game -- and accidentally stumbled on a really exciting detail about the forthcoming music/platformer. "It started with us two, then there were four of us, then there were six, then there were eight," Liem told me. "We have some people helping, on contract," said Mak. "Capybara Games is helping us, Metanet is helping us. We're all friends in Toronto." It seems that, beyond the small group of people employed under the "Queasy Games" umbrella, folks from acclaimed indie dev houses Capybara Games (Critter Crunch) and Metanet (N+) are putting work into Sound Shapes. Mak further noted, "A lof of these levels are actually Capy," referencing the levels I played in the preview build on-hand. He also explained to me that the folks at Queasy iterate on the levels before they make it into the game. Which isn't to say that the only folks working on Sound Shapes are Queasy Games and the aforementioned duo of dev houses. "All the indie game companies in Toronto hang out together and help each other out," Liem explained. "For us, I think a lot of the stuff that we're doing is new to us, or stuff that we're doing for the first time. So to be able to draw upon the people who've gone through it before is really great."%Gallery-125607%
Zynga acquires developer Five Mobile, turns it into Zynga Toronto
Much like the Borg, assimilating all the sentient lifeforms in the known universe; and also much like a really, really fat guy eating all the pasta in the world and turning it into energy for his body, Zynga has announced its 15th acquisition in a little over a year. The devoured company this time is Toronto-based dev Five Mobile, a freelance firm that creates licensed apps for any brands which require their services. Which, for the foreseeable future, is Zynga. The developer has been renamed "Zynga Toronto," and will fit squarely in the left shoulder socket of Zynga's Voltron-esque compartmentalized robot. Oh, you didn't know Zynga was working on that? Yeah, they totally mentioned it on their last conference call. You should really pay more attention.
Zynga picks up another iPhone developer, Five Mobile now Zynga Toronto
The Zynga blog reports that the huge social gaming company has picked up yet another iPhone developer to add to its growing staple. Five Mobile, a company that's made various apps for iPhone and other mobile platforms, is now part of Zynga and will be renamed Zynga Toronto, tasked with working on mobile apps and services across a variety of different setups and operating systems. This purchase isn't quite as direct as some others we've seen from Zynga, but Five Mobile is still a significant mobile developer and they are now fully integrated into the (huge) Zynga company. We still haven't seen a lot of products out of Zynga's purchases, but you have to think that as soon as the company is done settling down its various departments into their correct roles, the mobile initiative for the company will be bigger than ever, led by iOS apps and games. Zynga's definitely betting big on mobile -- it's already got a lion's share of the market in social gaming, and it's looking to use these developers to translate that audience over to mobile platforms in the future.
Extra, Extra: Big Daddy marries Little Sister in Toronto!
Perhaps the underwater utopia was already booked when Anna and Jon decided to get married in the backyard of his aunt's (really nice) place in Toronto. Nevertheless, the couple tied the knot last May with plenty of inspiration taken from their "favorite video game," BioShock, in a totally geeky hip wedding. The cupcakes served at the celebration featured edible blue morpho butterflies, "a reference to the game," Anna confirmed in a recent account of the wedding on Offbeat Bride. "Topping the tower of cupcakes were two figurines from the game" (pictured). The ceremony programs, designed by Jon, also featured nods to the Art Deco shooter, though the choice in music -- "We walked in to 'Strangers' by The Kinks, played 'Loving Cup' by the Rolling Stones while we signed the register, and walked out to 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,'" recalled Anna -- was a bit unorthodox. Congratulations, you two! May you love, honor, comfort and rapture each other in splicing and in health. [Image credit: WyseVegan]
Newest Canadian Apple Store draws hundreds
Here's a local report from Newmarket, Ontario in Canada, where Apple opened up a brand new store at the Upper Canada Mall over the weekend. Apparently hundreds of people were in line for the opening on Saturday morning, trying to get the iPhone 4 as well as all of the new iPod devices. Everybody involved sounds pretty happy, from the people who got in line starting at 4:30am, to the manager of the new store and the landlord in the mall itself. Then again, maybe that's their Canadian friendliness coming through. Good for Newmarket -- Toronto was one of the closest stores to the town, but now the folks up there will have to travel 60 fewer kilometers to get their Apple fix. Congrats on the new store, eh?
Ubisoft Toronto aiming to develop five big games at once
Ubisoft Toronto Managing Director Jade Raymond hopes to eventually have five triple-A projects going on at the studio. Speaking with Develop, she reiterated that the site is currently working on two projects, one of them the next Splinter Cell, and that the Toronto studio will eventually have five "major" projects in about ten years, when it beefs its staff roster up to 800. Even with such a massive staff, it sounds unlikely all the development for any one game will take place in Toronto. Raymond expressed that triple-A development currently requires several Ubisoft studios working together, explaining that "once [a] team reaches over 200 people – even if they're in the same studio – you need complex management methods to make sure everything is held together; the feature development, the communication, and everything else." A year since its creation (thanks to hundreds of millions in tax breaks), Ubisoft Toronto is shaping up to be a beast -- whether local newspaper columnists like it or not.
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.
Queen dons Swarovski-encrusted 3D glasses, shows us how bling is done
It's a tough life being a monarch nowadays. The halcyon times of extravagant debauchery and debauched extravagance are all but over, having been replaced by expectations of stoicism and perfectly measured hand waving. Trying to subvert this trend of royals boring us to tears, Britain's Queen has come out with a pair of Q-emblazoned 3D glasses that frankly redefine the way we look upon bling. Articulated with some good old Swarovski crystals, the spectacular spectacles were thought up by her majesty's dresser, Angela Kelly, and were brought out during a state visit to Toronto's Pinewood Studios. Now the only question left is which gangster rapper will try to outdo Queenie from the block?
Ubisoft's Toronto studio making next Splinter Cell and another 'triple-A' game
The new Toronto branch of Ubisoft has been operating quietly, going largely unnoticed for almost a year since its initial announcement. It sounds like the perfect group to develop a new Splinter Cell game. Ubisoft announced that the new Toronto studio will produce the next game in the series, and will work on a second, unannounced title with Ubisoft Montreal. Splinter Cell: Conviction producer Alexandre Parizeau has joined the Toronto team for this new Splinter Cell project. Managing director Jade Raymond told Gamasutra that many Montreal staffers -- "all the core team," as she described it -- relocated to the new Toronto studio. She said that, because of significant investments from both Ubisoft and the Ontario government, Ubisoft Toronto can start right away on large-scale games. "It's a really nice position to be in," Raymond said. "Instead of starting a studio and working on small projects, Nintendo DS or portables, we're starting out of the gate with triple-A only." The second game in Toronto's slate involves a small team coordinating with Montreal, led by A2M alum Lesley Phord-Toy. She told Gamasutra that the second team "gives us the chance to focus not only on bringing the right people in at the beginning, but putting them in the right place either to train or for training. When we look to grow this second team into a full team, we'll have the core team."
Mobilicity launches service in Toronto: all plans unlimited, no contracts to speak of
My, talk about a breath of fresh air. Canadian wireless subscribers have long since dealt with inhumane three-year contracts on mainstays like Rogers and Bell, signing over their cellular soul on a whim in order to get a marginally subsidized phone and a guaranteed bill for 36 months. We've heard for awhile now that Mobilicity was jonesing to change things up in the Great White North, and change it has. Shortly after receiving an all-important green light from the CRTC, the company has gone live with mobile service in Toronto, with a number of other large Canadian cities to follow in the months ahead. What's most unique about the service, however, is that every single plan it sells is unlimited in nature, and there's nary a contract to be found -- you simply pick the phone you want, the plan you want, and then you pay upfront. It's most akin to the various prepaid options here in the States (Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc.), but still -- it's a lovely alternative to have if you're a Canuck. Unlimited calling and texting can be had for just $35 per month, while $65 per month nets you unlimited everything (including global texting, US long distance calling and data usage). The phone selection ain't half bad either, with the only major "gotcha" being that extra roaming fees can apply if you use your mobile outside of metro Toronto (or in the future, away from the carrier's specific coverage cities). Hit up the source link to get the facts straight from the horse's moose's mouth. [Thanks, Endi]
Voices that Matter iPhone: Creating the Winter Olympics app
Xomo's Jeff Sinclair took the stage on day two of this past weekend's Voices that Matter iPhone conference to the tune of the Olympic theme music -- his company (well his most recent company -- he's worked on a few other ventures previously) was formed for one purpose: to provide the official iPhone app for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Eleven months before the games, in March of 2009, Xomo was formed around the idea of "disposable apps" -- the thinking was that since most people only use an app for a period of weeks anyway, they would create event-based and location-based apps that had a built-in time limit. The eventual goal was to provide an Olympic app, and so even before the games knew they would want an app, Xomo started up to build one. The story was actually pretty interesting -- Sinclair talks about the trials and tribulations of building both the app and building the funding and audience for it. Most iPhone developers start out with money and go from there, but Xomo really started out with the software, and then convinced the Olympics and their sponsors to pay for it. Read on to see how the award-winning app was eventually built.
Interview: Remedy's Oskari 'Ozz' Hakkinen on Alan Wake
After five long years of development, Remedy Entertainment is weeks away from delivering on one of the "most anticipated titles of 2010." Alan Wake's long journey comes to an end on May 18 (in North America) and the Finnish developer is in full "promo" mode -- when it isn't partying it up, that is. During a press stop in Toronto, Joystiq pressed Remedy's head of franchise development Oskari 'Ozz' Häkkinen on the hard-hitting questions: How much like a homeless Vin Diesel does the new Max Payne look, and when can players expect Alan Wake Wars to ship? We also grabbed a few tidbits about Alan Wake's New York City flashback, dreams of Alan Wake 2 and more on Wake's planned DLC. If that kind of stuff is important to you. %Gallery-64691%
GDC 2010: Hands-on with Superbrothers' Sword and Sorcery
"Superbrothers" is the alias of Craig Adams, a Toronto-based artist who specializes in pixel-based artwork and cinema. He's a big fan of musician Jim Guthrie, and after the two met a while ago (and discovered they were actually fans of each other), he was inspired to create a few music videos of the songs that he heard. Then, a little while back, Adams ran into a few guys from Capy, a game developer (they've made some great puzzle titles like Clash of Heroes for the DS and Critter Crunch for PSN) also from Toronto, and he decided to team up with them to make his first game, and release it on the iPhone. I got to play the game for the first time at GDC, and what I found was an interesting mix of art, music, and gameplay that shows just how amazing a platform like the iPhone can be, both for independent developers and for artists who just want to express themselves (or music they like) in an interactive format. Read on to find out what the game is like, and how it uses the iPhone's assets and Superbrothers' creativity to create a singular experience.
Halo 3: ODST public preview event drops into Toronto tonight
Xbox Canada is hosting a Halo 3: ODST training event in Toronto -- and you're invited. Starting tonight at 7PM (and ending 10PM), fans will get a chance to participate in a variety of Halo-inspired events, including basic training and going head-to-head with other ODST "recruits."The public event takes place at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto's Distillery District. As far as what kind of "training" Canadian gamers can expect... well, it's a good thing health care is given away like candy in the Great White North.
Jade Raymond to head up Ubisoft Toronto, focusing on AAA games and new IPs
While the whereabouts of Beyond Good & Evil 2's Jade are still – frustratingly – unknown, the whereabouts of Ubisoft's other Jade – that would be Jade Raymond, of Assassin's Creed fame – are quite known. Though she's been somewhat out of the limelight after initially trumpeting up the still-not-out-yet I Am Alive, Ms. Raymond is still alive and has been chosen as the head of the recently announced Ubisoft Toronto. But hey, we know you're worried about Yannis Mallat, CEO of both Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto, who told us last month that he would be "handling both" studios. Well, don't fret – Ubisoft's press release says that while "Raymond will oversee day-to-day operations of the Toronto studio's work on video game project," she will do so "under the governance of Yannis Mallat." Ubisoft Toronto is scheduled to open its doors by the end of the year and begin "work on AAA games and new intellectual properties," according to Raymond.
