Gaming the System: Game on in London, Ontario!
Most of us are aware of just how
big video game development is in
Canada, especially with Ubisoft
Montreal and BioWare pumping
out hit title after hit title.
But here in London? Believe it or not, our sleepy little city does in fact have quite a lot going on in the realm of video game development.
Big Blue Bubble
The company may not be big or famous, but Big Blue Bubble has been around the block quite a while now, with a steady stream of quality licensed titles (Lord knows we need our favourite properties treated right in the gaming world) and popular phone games, including the hit Burn the Rope! series. Starting out with Java mobile games (fondly remembering those mid-2000’s Nokia games, anyone?), both original properties as well as adaptations of popular big budget console titles like Red Faction II and 24: The Game, Big Blue Bubble has since diversified into the realm of console games, but stays true to their target of creating fun, casual puzzle experiences.
Big Viking Games
Social and mobile game developer Big Viking has a handful of titles, including Fish World, Tiny Kingdoms and recently relaunched community favourite YoWorld.
They’re no slouch in the strategy genre, with their free-to-play iOS trading card game Dark Heroes receiving a small but strong following.
Digital Extremes
The darling of Canadian gamers, frequently cited by many as the shining paragon that put Canada on the map as a serious contender for the future of video game development, Digital Extremes has had a long, long history of leading the way with some truly revolutionary titles. Unreal was among the big first-person shooters of the ‘90s that pushed the boundaries of 3D gaming to new limits, exploding the sales of 3D-hardware acceleration (or in other words, the reason why you’re playing Crysis 3 with your $400 Nvidia card). The Unreal Tournament series still continues to be one of the most popular online multiplayer games to ever be released. The company’s other seminal works include Dark Sector and The Darkness series. There’s something for every gamer from Digital Extremes.
The most recent game to come from the Digital Extremes studio is Warframe, a free-to-play co-op shooter set in the far reaches of outer space. Warframe can be found on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
But here in London? Believe it or not, our sleepy little city does in fact have quite a lot going on in the realm of video game development.
Big Blue Bubble
The company may not be big or famous, but Big Blue Bubble has been around the block quite a while now, with a steady stream of quality licensed titles (Lord knows we need our favourite properties treated right in the gaming world) and popular phone games, including the hit Burn the Rope! series. Starting out with Java mobile games (fondly remembering those mid-2000’s Nokia games, anyone?), both original properties as well as adaptations of popular big budget console titles like Red Faction II and 24: The Game, Big Blue Bubble has since diversified into the realm of console games, but stays true to their target of creating fun, casual puzzle experiences.
Big Viking Games
Social and mobile game developer Big Viking has a handful of titles, including Fish World, Tiny Kingdoms and recently relaunched community favourite YoWorld.
They’re no slouch in the strategy genre, with their free-to-play iOS trading card game Dark Heroes receiving a small but strong following.
Digital Extremes
The darling of Canadian gamers, frequently cited by many as the shining paragon that put Canada on the map as a serious contender for the future of video game development, Digital Extremes has had a long, long history of leading the way with some truly revolutionary titles. Unreal was among the big first-person shooters of the ‘90s that pushed the boundaries of 3D gaming to new limits, exploding the sales of 3D-hardware acceleration (or in other words, the reason why you’re playing Crysis 3 with your $400 Nvidia card). The Unreal Tournament series still continues to be one of the most popular online multiplayer games to ever be released. The company’s other seminal works include Dark Sector and The Darkness series. There’s something for every gamer from Digital Extremes.
The most recent game to come from the Digital Extremes studio is Warframe, a free-to-play co-op shooter set in the far reaches of outer space. Warframe can be found on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
