Week of June 19, 2020

Government Announcements / Policies / Funding

• Prime Minister Announces Mobile App to Help Notify COVID-19 Exposure – June 18
  Justin Trudeau announced the upcoming launch of a new nation-wide mobile app to provide notifications of exposure to COVID-19, with beta testing to begin in Ontario. The app will help Canadians and public health officials identify and isolate the spread of the virus more quickly.
• Prime Minister Announces Extension to CERB Program  – June 16
  The government is extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) by eight weeks, to ensure Canadians have the help they need as they transition back to work. This extension will make the benefit available to eligible workers for up to a total of 24 weeks.
• British Columbians Invited to Have Their Say on Recovery – June 17
  British Columbians are invited to share their feedback, ideas, experiences and priorities as the province continues to build a strong economic recovery that works for people.
• More Small Businesses Can Soon Access CEBA – June 15
  Starting June 19, applications will be accepted so that more small businesses can access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA). This means that owner-operated small businesses that had been ineligible for the program due to their lack of payroll, sole proprietors receiving business income directly, as well as family-owned corporations remunerating in the form of dividends rather than payroll will become eligible this week.
• Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) Program in Silicon Valley [Webinar]
  On June 22, the Trade Commissioner Service will host a one hour info session on the CTA Digitally Disrupted: Silicon Valley program. This is an annual program that selects a small cohort of early stage startups for an 8-week virtual intensive led by San Francisco startup advisory firm, Enjoy The Work. Click here to RSVP.
• ESAC’s Summary of Canadian Stimulus Measures & Business Supports – June 16
• ESAC’s Summary of Provincial Reopening Plans – June 15

Industry-Related News

• Ubisoft commemorates Juneteenth with third Black Game Pros event – June 18
• Video games and esports fill void in pandemic – June 16
• FDA approves first prescription video game for kids with ADHD – June 15
• Humble Bundle launches Fight for Racial Justice bundle – June 16
• The Playstation 5 already proves the future of games is diverse – June 11
• Congratulations to DigiBC member, Blackbird Interactive on the release of their new game, Hardspace: Shipbreakers! It launched on June 16 and is available on Steam Early Access.
• Applications are open for the Irving K Barber BC Scholarship Society’s Women in Technology & Indigenous Women in Technology Scholarships. They are giving out 15 awards valued at $10K each, with two being dedicated to women of Indigenous ancestry. Deadline to apply is July 6. Click here to learn more.
• DigiBC has arranged for our network to receive a 20% discount off the current pricing for the Venture Summit Virtual | Connect. The conference is dedicated to showcasing VCs, corporate VCs and angel investors committed to funding venture backed, emerging and early-stage companies. Click here for more info.
• Submissions are now open for the 12^th annual Spark Animation Festival which is taking place from October 29 to November 1. The festival will feature some of the best short and feature-length animation the world has to offer. Visit the website for more details and to submit.
• The Girls S.T.E.A.M. Institute Virtual Breakthrough Summit is taking place from July 6-10. This team challenge event is where girls from ages 12-21 can come together and take part in a competition to develop solutions for a specific problem. There will also be interactive discussions on video games, virtual reality, machine learning and artificial intelligence, storyboarding for books/games/movies, job interviews, leadership styles, personal development, cultural diplomacy, mental health and much more. The event is based in the USA but Canadians girls are welcome to participate. Parents, teachers and lifelong learners are also encouraged to attend. Click here for further details and to register.

Signal Boosting / #GiveBack / How Can I Help?

• In light of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, we’d like to recognize the following Indigenous video games and game developers. Please join us in following these talented creators and play and celebrate their games. As well, let’s do what we can on a daily basis to break down barriers and invite Indigenous creators into this sector. Do you know of other Indigenous creators or products? Share with us! We are populating our IndigiGeeks page with all the connections we can!
  • Video Games: Water Honour, Never Alone, Spirits of Spring, Thunderbird Strike, Sleep Guardian
  • Game Developers: Brujeria @ Werk, ABird, Indian Land Tenure, Umurangi Generation, Neofeud, Maui Studios, byrneout.itch.io, Nathan Powless-Lynes, Maize Longboat

DigiBC News

• DigiMusic 2020 has been extended!️ With the challenges of COVID-19, we have decided to extend the deadline for music entries and move our online celebration event to later this summer. Young musicians and composers of all varieties are invited to create an original piece of music for a video game or animated film clip taken from world-famous products that were made in BC. It’s the perfect project for students in grades 7-12 looking for a creative challenge that blends music with technology. Learn more here: bit.ly/digimusic2020

Upcoming Virtual Events of Interest

June 23: NGPX: New Game + Expo

June 25: WIMDI x WIGeh – How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at Events

June 25: SCOOB! The Re-imagining of a Classic

July 6-10: Girls S.T.E.A.M. Institute Virtual Breakthrough Summit

August 4-6: Venture Summit Virtual Global | Connect

August 4-6: Game Developers Conference Summer | Online

August 25-29: Gamescom Online

September 12-20: PAX Online

September 19: Game Devs of Colour Expo

 Companies Currently Hiring

• Unity Technologies – list of open positions
• SkyBox Labs – list of available vacancies
• Hyper Hippo – list of open positions
• Kabam Vancouver – list of job openings
• Mainframe Studios – list of open roles
• Next Level Games – list of job openings
• Relic Entertainment – list of current vacancies
• Blackbird Interactive – list of available roles
• WildBrain Studios – list of open positions
• Atomic Cartoons – list of job openings
• Phoenix Labs – list of available roles
• Kano Apps – list of open vacancies
• Animal Logic – list of job openings
• Cinesite – list of current open positions
• Sony Imageworks – list of job vacancies

  *More listings can be found on the DigiBC Job Board