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Interview: Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto boss Yannis Mallat
Earlier today, Ubisoft announced its continuing Canadian expansion, with a new studio being established in the province of Ontario's capital city of Toronto. In a joint announcement with the Premier (his actual title) of Ontario, Ubi revealed the studio will have about 800 employees, while the government is committing $263 million in funding over the next decade. We spoke with Ubisoft Montreal CEO (and newly formed Ubisoft Toronto boss), Yannis Mallat, about his plans for the company why Toronto was "culturally" the right place for Ubisoft to expand its development reach.
Ubisoft opening studio in Toronto, continuing to take over Canada [Update]
Having already built successful strongholds in Quebec, Vancouver and Montreal, Ubisoft will reportedly continue its fiendish occupation of Canada by building a studio in the heart of Toronto as part of an agreement with the Ontario government to create more digital-age jobs in the area.The focus of the studio, the number of jobs it will bring to Ontario and projects it will be tasked with developing are still unknown, though Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat are expected to make a detailed formal announcement later today. Heck, we don't even know what the new studio will be called -- hopefully it'll break from the "Ubisoft + Territory Name" formula the company has used so many times in the past. C'mon, guys! Get original!Update: Sure enough, McGuinty and Mallat's press conference pulled the veil off of Ubisoft Toronto (ugh!), a new studio which will open up 800 new jobs to the area over the next decade. The new studio will be headed up by Mallat himself, and "will work on Triple-A games" as well as "build on the city's existing experience with the film production industry." Ubisoft has been boasting its digital effects work in films lately -- this new studio will likely lend even more pizzazz to Canadian-made movies. We've got an interview scheduled with Mallat later today, so stay tuned for more specific details. [Image] [Via Clint Hocking's Twitter]
Video: Inside Xbox at the Fable II launch event in Toronto, Canada
Last week X3F was lucky enough to attend the Canadian launch of Fable II for the Xbox 360 in Toronto, Canada. While throwing back a few brews, invited members of the Xbox community in Canada were able to play through the retail version of the game a week before its release. Canadian Xbox 360 owners connected to Live are now able to see some highlights from the event on Inside Xbox -- including interviews with (a mid-flu) Xav de Matos and our friend DjDatz. Non-Canadian members of the community are invited to check out the video above and see exactly what alcohol can do to some Canadians. Think of it as a Fable II promo and a public service announcement ... all rolled into one.
Recap: Sony Holiday Preview Event - Toronto
As the gaming world sets its focus on Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, Sony decided to hold a preview event for the media (and later for community) in Toronto, Canada. Showcasing some of the most anticipated titles of the year for the platform, Sony showed off everything you'd want or hope to see.Prince of Persia made its community debut and we had a chance to take the adventure for a spin. Killzone 2 surprised everyone with its presence but no one with its style and Dead Space proved that even a game releasing next week will garner a pile of crowd attention.Here's a recap of all the coverage out of the Sony Holiday Event in Toronto, Canada, as well as images from the event: Joystiq hands-on: 30 minutes with Prince of Persia Joystiq hands-on: Killzone 2 Joystiq hands-on: The beginning of Dead Space (PS3) Joystiq hands-on: Revisiting the Quantum of Solace %Gallery-33980%
Raptors TV pushing for HD signal in Canada
It's not easy to light up an HD channel in the Great North, but what is typically the biggest hurdle has apparently been overcome by Toronto Raptors Network. Amazingly, the CRTC approved an application by the aforementioned company to offer a high-def signal of Raptors TV in Canada. Conditions require that the HD version carry 95% of the same content as the SD flavor, while the other 5% must also be high-definition material. Now, TRN must persuade cable and satellite companies that Raptors TV HD is worth the bandwidth, but it seems that industry analysts are pretty bullish on its chances. We can't say our hopes are that high yet, but we've definitely got our fingers tightly crossed for you NBA-lovin' Canucks.[Via National Post]
Joystiq & X3F invade X08 Toronto
If you were lucky enough to score an invite when we tipped you off earlier in the week you should be making your way down to Toronto for Microsoft's X08 event later today. Promising a ton of hands-on experience with games from Microsoft Game studios, EA, Activision and Warner Bros., X08 is sure to have something for everyone. The event kicks off tonight from 5PM until 8PM EST. Remember, this was an invite only event so dropping by and hoping for the best isn't recommended.If you're going make sure to say hello to X3F and Big Download staffer Xav, X3F alum Knuckles Dawson and one of our more seasoned comment/tipsters DjDATZ, who just celebrated his 2 year anniversary on the site.
Toronto's public health department recommends kids limit mobile use
In case it wasn't already obvious that kids under the age of eight should be using cellphones strictly for emergencies, here's another reason: Toronto's public health department says so. In what might be a first in all of Canada, the agency is officially laying down recommendations that tykes be restricted to emergency calls and teens talk on their phones for no more than ten minutes at a time (good luck with that one) due to growing evidence that prolonged use could lead to brain tumors and other health-related unpleasantness later in life. Moving up the governmental food chain, Health Canada still officially recommends no restrictions, so the endless confusion over cellphone safety continues as usual.[Thanks, Thierry]
The origin of Justiciar
It's time for a new superhero spotlight in the Champions Online universe. This time we get to learn about Justiciar, the Canadian cybernetic crime-fighter who leads the Toronto-based super team, StarForce. We always love a good technology-based super hero (and with the box office success of Iron Man there are probably some recent converts) so it's really nice to see the artwork for Justiciar look turn out so well.Don't miss out on the one-page origin comic, either. It may be short but there's a certain amount of coolness to the presentation. We really would love to see our own characters in Champions Online presented in such a way after creating them, but something like that would probably take quite a bit of development time. Oh well, we're sure there's going to be plenty of super-heroics in our futures to come!
Toronto Blue Jays to get 144 games in HD this season
No sooner than we get wind of the Huskers' plans to air a handful of its upcoming games in HD, along comes word that Blue Jays fans in Canada will be treated to a whole slew of its matchups courtesy of Rogers Sportsnet. Reportedly, the station will broadcast the season opener followed by around 99 more games on "all four Sportsnet channels and Sportsnet HD." Better still, the rest of the club's games will be carried (in HD, no less) by CBC and TSN, meaning that all 144 televised Blue Jays games will indeed be in high-definition. If only the Orioles / Nationals were so lucky...[Image courtesy of Mike Carlson / ESPN]Read - Sportsnet to carry 100 Blue Jays gamesRead - Blue Jays 2008 TV schedule includes 144 games in HD
Five-star Thompson Toronto hotel to boast 42-inch plasmas
New York-based Thompson Hotel is branching out, and reportedly, it's getting set to break ground on a new building outside of US borders. Set to open in the summer of 2009, Thompson Toronto is slated to become yet another five-star hotel in the Canadian city when it opens at 550 Wellington St. W. at Bathurst. Apparently, the venue will consist of three high-rise towers with "floor-to-ceiling windows, 42-inch plasma TVs, private 40-seat screening rooms, and creative, interdisciplinary decor by Barcelona design studio Estudio Marsical." In case that wasn't enough, you'll also find an outdoor skating rink and a rooftop pool and bar, but sadly, we've no idea how many high-definition channels will be allowed to grace those PDPs.[Via HotelChatter]
Sex Worker Alliance: GTA normalizes violence against sex workers
On this fifth annual "International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers," we remind you to tip -- but not to kill -- your service providers. According to The Toronto Sun, Anastasia Kuzyk of the Sex Workers' Alliance of Toronto believes that games like Grand Theft Auto feed into the "subculture of allowing the violence to continue," and that violence "against sex workers should not be normalized, but it is." Although she doesn't mention GTA by name in the quote, it's the only well-known game we can think of that lets you "run down prostitutes and kill them and beat them up and take their money."Kuzyk has cause for concern, as 171 female sex workers (no stats on men given) were killed between '91 and '04 in Toronto. This is also not the first time in recent memory that GTA has received flak from sex worker advocates, though there's no word yet on whether GTA IV will allow for the ironically health-enhancing activity of picking up a prostitute like in other installments in the series. So, Happy International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers everyone! Boy, that's a mouthful.[Via GamePolitics]
Toronto to add photo surveillance to public transit vehicles
We never thought adding an absurd amount of surveillance cameras to a city (or its public transportation system) would become fashionable, but it seems like Toronto is the next big locale ready to hop on the Big Brother bandwagon. Reportedly, plans are already underway to "ensure every person using Toronto's transit system will be photographed as of next June," which means that some 12,000 cameras will have to be installed on "every [Toronto Transit Commission] bus, streetcar, subway car and at each station." Of course, it's noted that the images acquired will only be used as "crime-busting tools," and the entire system is expected to cost a cool $18 million. Good news for employees / police stationed at the transit system's command center, though -- you'll be able to "view live video or hear audio from any of the security cameras installed on subway cars." Now that's quality entertainment.[Via The Raw Feed]
Motorola and Primus give Toronto a taste of WiMAX
Fresh from its demo of Sprint's Xohm WiMAX network in Chicago, Motorola's now teamed up with Primus and Mipps Inc. to give Torontonians a taste of some Canadian-flavored wireless broadband, which the companies say should become available to the general public at some point in the future. For the trial, Motorola supplied its wi4 WiMAX solution, with Mipps supplying the 3.5 GHz spectrum that it owns in some 40 licensed areas across the country. While Toronto's getting all the attention at the moment, Primus says the trial "could lead to a roll-out in other centers across Canada in the coming months," although it's apparently not quite ready to make any firm commitments just yet.
X3F Meetup: Toronto, Ontario on August 27th
So, as luck would have it, I'll be in Toronto immediately after PAX'07. My flight comes in around 4:30 PM ET, and that evening I'll be free to meetup with you readers. Unfortunately, Red Robin isn't as widespread as originally thought. It turns out there are only 18 in Canada, and much to my surprise, 14 of them are in British Columbia, which would explain how commonplace I thought they were. The other four are in Alberta which doesn't really help matters.What does this mean? This means I need your help figuring out a good place to wine and dine. As the people from the local meetup would recall, I'm a fan of good burger joints (and bottomless fries wherever possible). Any suggestions? Also, feel free to start "signing up" now, so I can organize an RSVP list. Either leave a comment with your attendence or eatery suggestion, or shoot me an email at david [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com with the subject heading X3F@T.O. I look forward to seeing you there.
Toronto's CN Tower gets lit up with LEDs
Canadians may have been shut out of today's iPhone madness (some may say mercifully) but they now at least have some blinkin' lights to distract them, as Toronto's CN Tower has been bathed in LEDs just in time for Canada Day. Whipped up by Boston's Color Kinetics (to the tune of $2.4 million), the system consists of 1,300 shoe-box sized light fixtures that can be used to create a range of different effects. According to Reuters, the tower will be red and white by default, with special color effects at the top of each hour, and additional light shows planned for holidays and special events. While the LEDs help to make the system more energy efficient, they obviously won't last forever, with a ginormous lightbulb-changing job in store ten years from now.[Photo courtesy of Reuters/Mike Cassese]
earPod creation could add auditory menus to iPod, DAPs
Rumblings about the layout and design of Apple's iPod scroll wheel in particular have been making the rounds for what seems like ages, but a new development from the Microsoft Research labs could nix the need to pull your DAP out and nearly collide with foreign objects whilst scrolling to a new tune. Aside from the glaring curiousness that stems from a Microsoft-derived project being dubbed earPod, the team has purportedly been working with scientists at the University of Toronto "on software that could make it possible to navigate the menus of gadgets that use circular touch pads with only audio cues." Essentially, touching the scroll wheel would provide audio clips to help you find your way through menus without ever seeing the screen, which would certainly prove useful on screenless DAPs. Currently, the system is quite limited in regard to the number of cues available, but here's to hoping that text-to-speech capabilities can become integrated as well so we can cycle through the thousands of artists and songs without even needing a display. [Warning: PDF read link][Via TechnologyReview]
Solo's bus stop ad enables life-size chatting with strangers
Hot on the heels of Nokia's own bus stop gimmick comes none other than Solo, which has erected a clever display on a number of waiting areas to allow perfect strangers to yap it up on giant mobiles. The interactive billboards each sport a larger-than-usual flip phone, which allows curious onlookers to mash an enlarged walkie talkie button and get on the horn with a faraway stranger. The active two-way radio setup was reportedly installed in transit shelters in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary, and the system supposedly connects users in the different cities to one another when a conversation is initiated. Unfortunately, Engadget HQ doesn't happen to reside in the land of the Canucks, so for our brethren in the north, why not stop on by and give a shout to a fellow Canadian, eh?[Via Core77]
Pepsi posters let you plug in your headphones
While the idea of plugging our headphones into the same jack as every Tom, Dick, and Harry on the subway is slightly off-putting, we can't fault Pepsi for their innovative new advertising campaign that encourages passers-by to listen to short song snippets from publicly-situated multimedia displays. Close to 100 of the interactive posters have been deployed by Canadian advertising firm BBDO around the Toronto and Vancouver areas, allowing you to quickly unplug from your iPod and jack into 30 seconds of tunes that are meant to whet your appetite for owning the entire track. Once you're hooked, you're presumably supposed to go out and buy yourself a bottle of Pepsi, which will contain an exclusive PIN number redeemable on the company's site for that song you liked along with other music-related swag. The most interesting part about this whole campaign, advertising tricks aside, is the fact that Canadians actually seem willing to expose their digital audio players in public, while we Americans are doing everything we possibly can to keep those precious 'Pods under heavy lockdown.[Via Sagags]
Toronto, Ontario Apple Store opens this weekend
Attention, Mac-users in Toronto: Apple Store Eaton Centre will open this Saturday, May 6th at 9:30 AM. This store is located at 220 Yonge Street Space #3110A in Toronto, on Level 3 near Sephora. You can find complete travel directions here. As usual, the first 1000 visitors will be rewarded with commemorative t-shirts. Visitors can also enter to win the “Grand Opening Sweepstakes,” which will award one winner with an iMac, an iPod nano, a Canon digital camera, a Sony Handycam CCD-TRV138, and an HP inkjet printer.If you're going to attend the opening at Eaton Centre, please send us links to your photos and reports! Good luck and have fun.
8bit musicians announce world tour
Former cellmates Nullsleep and Bitshifter have announced plans to embark on a world tour, blasting their blend of bleeps, bloops, and blizzasts from Boston to Brussels and back again. If you're not an 8-bit believer yet, nothing will win you over except trying it out for yourself. To that end, here are links (1, 2, 3, 4) to some MP3s these torturers of Gameboys, Famicoms and other old-school video game consoles have kindly provided for downloading. If you like what you hear, check the tour page and maybe even drop a few dollars in the donation bucket to help make it happen.
