Today marks the end of an adventure for the 135 students who participated in the 2016 edition of Ubisoft's Game Lab Competition. After three months of hard work and long hours spent developing their first game prototypes, it was time to celebrate their achievements at the scholarship and awards ceremony, held last night at the Rialto Theatre. Among the 17 prototypes that were nominated was "Koru"—created by École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC in collaboration with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)—which took home the award for best prototype. Koru also snagged the award for best game design and the audience award, and a total of $10,000 in scholarship money.
"The students had to juggle a challenging assignment and short overall production time. The winning teams all presented prototypes that met the demands and had various well-executed features. However, the Koru team stood out because their prototype was fully functional and had a combination of features—cooperative play, art direction, design and various technical aspects—that were perfectly executed. All in all, it's a game that's a lot of fun to play, and that's what matters most," says Ubisoft Montréal Producer Julien Laferrière, who served as chairman of the 2016 Game Lab Competition jury.
A celebration of emerging video game creators in Quebec
In this sixth edition, the assignment and restrictions that the students took on mirrored the real-life production challenges that are often encountered at Ubisoft Montréal. Among them: the integration of game systems in which groups of objects must interact according to predetermined rules, a physics-related component, and a component related to artificial intelligence.
"For us, the competition is both a direct way to hire local talent and encourage all the emerging professionals in the Quebec video game industry. This year is no different. By collaborating with Quebec universities, and with the fortunate assistance of our employees who serve as mentors to each of the teams, we're able to aid students in their transition from academic studies to the workplace. Because of the competition, they now have real-world knowledge and production experience, which will go a long way when it comes to pursuing their passion," concludes
Cédric Orvoine, Vice-President of Human Resources and Communications at Ubisoft Montréal.
The list of winning teams:
Best prototype – $8,000Koru – École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC in collaboration with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
Jury's Special Award – $2,000Sew World – Université Laval
Best technical challenge and innovation – $2,000Sublimation – Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with UQAT Montréal
Best game design – $2,000Koru – École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC in collaboration with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
Best user experience – $2,000Déuström – École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC in collaboration with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
Best Quality of the "3C" (camera, characters and controls) – $2,000Radiant Crusade – Concordia University
Best creativity and theme integration – $2,000Lumina – McGill University in collaboration with Concordia University
Best art direction – $2,000Astral Tides – École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in collaboration with École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC
Audience awardKoru – École des arts numériques, de l'animation et du design (NAD) UQAC in collaboration with l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
The students were given 3 months to create a playable game prototype that fit with this year's theme: the ocean. Overall, the 2016 edition of the competition attracted 135 students—divided up into 17 teams—from 11 universities throughout Quebec. The teams competed for $22,000 in scholarship money, and Ubisoft has committed to offering employment and internship opportunities to 10 of the top participants.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin's Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy's video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft's worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2014–15 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,464 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
SOURCE Ubisoft
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