Jon Higgins 🔜 GDC

Mekanism is now in CANADA. The company is a merger / amalgamation of: Camp Jefferson Jungle Media Plus Company Per the release, Mekanism Canada will be led by Peter Bolt, who becomes part of the Mekanism leadership team. Bolt previously served as President at Camp Jefferson. Media will be led by brooke leland, who most recently led Jungle as President. See comments for link. Source: National Post / Campaign Canada AdClub of Toronto IAB Canada Canadian Marketing Association #media #canada Media in Canada

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Ryan Coutts, Bow Valley College’s Digital Entertainment Accelerator Lead, sat down with Collisions YYC podcast’s host Tyler Chisholm to discuss the transformative opportunity that Indie Ignition Accelerators provide Calgary startups. From leadership and pitch development to presenting live in front of a panel of judges, the accelerator program connects creatives with the skills and knowledge to execute the business needs of their ideas.     To listen to the full podcast, click here: https://lnkd.in/g2nEdzrf 

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I had the privilege of attending the Vancouver Web Summit this week, courtesy of Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) and Mitacs. While it was inspiring to see all the energy and enthusiasm, I couldn’t help feeling bewildered by the continued hype over generative AI. It seems to have reached a state of almost religious fervour, showing little signs of critical reflection. Everyone seems to assume that rationality naturally falls out of statistics and is therefore all but a guaranteed feature of transformer models.  They promise a bright future filled with AI agents making binding decisions and even urge us to include them on the company organisation charts. But anyone who has given it some honest thought will appreciate that an aptitude in pattern matching and prediction does not translate to other necessary faculties of what we call intelligence, such as search or intentionality. The former, for example, requires the ability to account for the entire search space, something that LLMs are inherently unable to do. So it was refreshing to see and actually meet Gary Marcus, who was seemingly the only speaker there daring to suggest that the emperor has no clothes.

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Looking into getting into iGaming in Canada? The rules are changing and I'm in the trenches of so many new movements across the country. Want to know more? DM me! Canada’s New Interactive Digital Media Rules, Why iGaming Should Pay Attention On March 1, 2024, Canada quietly introduced major policy changes under the Investment Canada Act (ICA) that could reshape the future of iGaming. These new rules expand the definition of Interactive Digital Media (IDM) to include online casino games, poker, esports betting, social casino, and other interactive platforms. That means iGaming is now firmly within Canada’s “cultural business” category, triggering much lower thresholds for foreign investment review and much higher scrutiny when foreign-controlled capital is involved. Why this matters now: Ontario’s iGaming market has exploded, $200B in wagers and an $8B industry in just three years. As the sector grows, the Government of Canada is signalling it wants more Canadian control, Canadian IP, and safeguards against “hostile” foreign influence. Key takeaways for iGaming: ⚡ Lower review thresholds mean even smaller deals can trigger ICA reviews. ⚡ National security risk factors now include online chat, streaming, and in-game purchases, all common in iGaming platforms. ⚡ Canadian-first IP and governance will be critical to passing “net benefit” reviews. ⚡ Smaller studios and startups that rely on foreign funding may face new barriers unless they structure deals carefully. In an $8B market that is still expanding, these policies aren’t just a regulatory footnote, they’re a playbook shift. If you’re an operator, supplier, or investor in Canada’s iGaming ecosystem, it’s time to assess your structure, partnerships, and compliance approach before the next big move. Things are about to change! #iGaming #Canada #InvestmentCanadaAct #InteractiveDigitalMedia #OntarioGaming #CanadianTech #DigitalEconomy #casino #onlinecasino https://lnkd.in/gf8ByT8v

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🎮 British Columbia’s tech and interactive sector is heading to Gamescom 2025! Eleven B.C. studios will be featured at the Canada Pavilion, a dedicated space for Canadian companies to network, build partnerships, and connect with global buyers and industry leaders. Three of those companies will also take part in the Spielfabrique MATCH program — a Europe-Canada initiative connecting studios across borders to co-develop new IP and foster international collaboration. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g36qD7Pm #Gamescom2025 #CreativeBC #MadeInBC #GameDev #IndieGames #InternationalCollaboration #CanadaPavilion #MATCHProgram

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"Some of the greatest innovations come out of gaming" In this episode, we explore the fast-evolving world of game development in Nova Scotia — from indie studios making waves to the policy and partnerships driving industry growth. Joining the conversation is Ryan Sno-Wood, member of the Interactive Society of Nova Scotia, a key voice in the local industry. Ryan shares valuable insight into the challenges, innovations, and opportunities shaping the province’s interactive entertainment sector. We also touch on, AI and copyright concerns in game development, advice for aspiring developers and what’s ahead for ISNS. Whether you're in gaming, tech, or just curious about this thriving space, this episode is worth a listen: https://lnkd.in/eGVxfww3

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Indigenous creators in Canada are doing remarkable work with XR. One of the leaders is award-winning director Loretta Sarah Todd, who helped establish the IM4 Media Lab. Alongside other artists on the lands and territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations—what most people call Vancouver—they’re building immersive projects that are already drawing attention and recognition. I’m genuinely excited to see the stories this tech will unlock.

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If you’re interested in how AI is intersecting with the music industry, I encourage you to check out today’s piece in The Globe and Mail by Josh O'Kane.  https://lnkd.in/eVEHV8SB The story covers concerns from Canadian artists about protecting human creativity and guarding against AI slop that crowds out human artists on platforms. Josh quotes me on the importance of licensing AI services in order to address many of these concerns. Recent agreements between the biggest players in the industry (major and indie alike) and AI platforms are the first steps to moving from the wild west, where everything is stolen, to a digital marketplace where the music ingested and created generates value for artists. Also in the story, SOCAN’s Jennifer Brown makes it clear that our industry has the infrastructure to handle this transition, and one of Canada’s most plugged-in people on all of this, Beatdapp’s Morgan Hayduk “hammers” home the key point: AI is here. It’s up to us to use it properly.

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There was a recent(ish) article in Canada highlighting how indie studios in Canada are faced with critical coverage gaps with their insurance. To be honest, you can probably replace Canada with any country. Indie studios are usually created by people who have a passion for making games, but are not always aware of the potential risks it involves. The article says: " Smaller developers – especially those operating with lean teams and limited budgets – often struggle to find comprehensive packages that address the full spectrum of exposures they face. Cyberattacks, intellectual property disputes, and business interruption events can all hit indie studios hard, particularly when they don’t have the scale or reserves to absorb a significant loss". It also goes onto say "The industry has yet to deliver flexible, right-sized solutions for this segment – a missed opportunity given how central indie development is to Canada’s gaming ecosystem." Well. . . . I disagree. What's missing is a fundamental understanding on how games studios operate, the complex challenges they face and how to translate that into the potential risks. Which is why we see time and again, companies being categorised under "generic tech policies" which ultimately wont pay out if they need to be activated. The cost for this kind of cover for small teams isn't high, finding someone who can arrange the right cover for them can be. That's the precise reason we exist, year on year, more companies trust us to protect them and they stay with us. If you want a quick chat to go through your studios cover and what you should think about when taking out insurance. I'm here all day, every day :) https://lnkd.in/eYEAPyyk  

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Just dropped one of my favourite episodes of the 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 yet, with none other than Kevin Lin, Co‑Founder & former COO of Twitch. "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴." From the chaotic early days of Justin.tv to leading Twitch through its $1B+ Amazon acquisition, Kevin’s story is packed with gold for anyone building in gaming or the creator economy. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲: 🎯 Why obsessing over creators (not just viewers) kept Twitch alive ⚡ The near-meltdowns that almost killed the company, and how they pushed through 🏗 How culture can scale faster than user numbers 🎮 What Kevin’s building now at MetaTheory & his take on the future of gaming Huge thanks to Kevin for being so candid and pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to build at that scale. If you’re a founder, operator, or investor in gaming, the insights here are timeless. What do you think will define the next generation of gaming platforms? 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲: https://lnkd.in/g28spXbJ 𝗧𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆: https://lnkd.in/gaifPt2k 

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