It has been a big week in the world of Canadian gaming with several studios in Vancouver announcing titles tied to popular franchises.
First, is
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA, Forum) who is joining forces with
Lucasfilm Games to develop new titles in the Star Wars Jedi Franchise, including a new Star Wars first person shooter from Peter Hirschmann and a strategy game via a publishing collaboration between Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor.
Respawn has been best known for its work on
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,
Apex Legends,
Titanfall. This is the studio leading the development and production of these new projects.
Respawn’s game director, Peter Hirschmann called working with Lucasfilm Games on a new game in the Star Wars galaxy a “dream come true”, “This is a story I have always wanted to tell,” he said.
Peter previously worked as VP of development at LucasArts and was executive producer on the original
Star Wars Battlefront games. Hirschmann and the team at Respawn have just begun work on the title and all three titles are currently being worked on.
EA will release its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended December 31st, 2021 after the close of market on
Tuesday, February 1st, 2022.
On Thursday,
East Side Games Group (TSX: EAGR, Forum) launched
The Office: Somehow We Manage on iOS and Android. The free-to-play idle game is inspired by NBC's US version of The Office. Will you fulfill your destiny as one of “Scott’s Tots”? Will you finally lead Dwight to get revenge on Jim’s pranks? Will we get a satisfying backstory to whatever was going on with Creed Bratton? Maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure, you always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Chief Executive Officer of ESG, Darcy Taylor said – “Fans of The Office will absolutely feel the nostalgia through this new
game.”
This follows another free-to-play mobile game made by ESG for a popular franchise -
Doctor Who, available later this year on both iOS and Android.
All that is known about the game so far is that it will be a narrative-driven title where players will be able to explore new and classic stories and bring together companions and characters from across the “Who-niverse”. The game will be developed leveraging the company's proven Game Kit technology and will be published by ESG.
ESE Entertainment Inc. (TSX-V: ESE, Forum) announced that its media company,
Frenzy sp. z.o.o. will organize and produce the
Ultraliga Teamfight Tactics Arcane final this Sunday, January 30th, 2022. This will be first Riot Games TFT regional league final carried out as an offline event broadcast on TV.
The winner and runner-up of the final tournament will be promoted to the international competition, TFT Superbrawl. The players are expected to be joined by the best competitors from around the world.
(Image via ESE Entertainment.)
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This is significant, as due to COVID, a lot of esports gaming had to adapt and it seemed gone were the days of massive crowds in stadiums taking in the action and showing the magnitude of its popularity for what it is.
Managing Director at Frenzy Marcin Kilar said that this marks a return to a pre-COVID normalcy we once knew.
“We are very excited with the return of LAN (Local Area Network, live-in person) events, opening up a new business opportunity. Frenzy has been deeply involved in the Teamfight Tactics scene from its onset. The in-person final tournament is a natural next step in the league’s development and a tribute to players and fans. It strengthens our excellent, synergistic cooperation with Riot Games.”
The third edition of the tournament is closely linked with the animated series, Arcane, which is based on a collaboration between Riot Games and Netflix.
Earlier this week, ESE announced that it had started a new division of its business focused on expanding its existing business products and services to the
metaverse, a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection. The company identified two primary metaverses that it will seek to build business products and services for: Decentraland and The Sandbox. In addition, there are multiple Play-To-Earn video games that ESE is evaluating.
FULL DISCLOSURE: ESE Entertainment Inc. is a client of Stockhouse Publishing.