News
Featured Story
- Tags: Alientrap, Alientrap Games, Black Tabby Games, Canada, Continue, Dark Slope, DuneCrawl, games, Hilltop Studios, In Stars in Time, Indie Game Awards, insertdisc5, Interactive Ontario, Julia Minamata, Lil' Guardsman, Made in Ontario, MobileSyrup, Ontario, Slay the Princess, Star Wars Outlaws, The Crimson Diamond, The Game Awards, The MIX Showcase, This Week, Ubisoft Toronto, video games, VR, XR
Ubisoft Toronto get Star Wars Game Awards nods, Ontario indies score multiple Indie Game Award noms, and local devs featured in The MIX Showcase!
- Tags: Behaviour Interactive, Bonus Stage, Continue, Dark Slope, Darkest Dungeon, Digital Extremes, Elevate Festival, Interactive Ontario, Jason Loftus, Lofty Sky, Made in Ontario, Massive Damage, Ontario, Red Hook Studios, This Week, Tokyo Game Show, video games, VR, Warframe, XR
Everything happening in the Ontario video games industry this week courtesy of Interactive Ontario and CONTINUE!
- Tags: Chivalry 2, Continue, Dark Slope, Guardian of Realms, Interactive Ontario, Lofty Sky, Made in Ontario, Ontario, Serious Play, Serious Play Conference, Sinn Studio, Sky of Tides, This Week, Torn Banner Studios, video games, VR, XR
Everything happening in the Ontario video games industry this week courtesy of Interactive Ontario and CONTINUE!
- Tags: Bonus Stage, Canada, Continue, Dave Proctor, Fera: The Sundered Tribes, Finish Line Games, Gamescom, Gamescom 2024, Interactive Ontario, Lofty Sky, Made in Ontario, Massive Damage, Mighty Yell, No More Room in Hell 2, Ontario, Ontario Creates, ottawa, Red Meat Games, Robots at Midnight, Sky of Tides, Snowed In Studios, This Week, Torn Banner, Toronto, Ubisoft NEXT, Ubisoft Toronto, video games
Everything happening in the Ontario video games industry this week courtesy of Interactive Ontario and CONTINUE!
- Tags: Continue, Dark Sector, Dark Slope, Digital Extremes, Hand Eye Society, Hilltop Studios, Interactive Ontario, Made in Ontario, Ontario, Rooster, Sticky Brain Studios, TennoCon 2024, This Week, video games, Warframe
Everything happening in the Ontario video games industry this week courtesy of Interactive Ontario and CONTINUE!
The Lodgge Podcast
Welcome to The Lodgge Podcast. Each episode we will be welcoming a different uniquely talented guest to talk about a variety of topics. Our goal is to showcase the immense knowledge, diversity, and skill that Ontario video game and interactive entertainment studios have to offer. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the industry, its members, and the projects they create.
Recent Episodes
Episode 25 — Jason Loftus
In this season finale, we chat with the CEO and Executive Producer at Lofty Sky Entertainment Jason Loftus! We discuss their upcoming title Sky of Tides, the team’s award-winning documentary Eternal Spring (長春), and lots more!
Previous Episodes
Careers
Looking to start a new adventure? The Lodgge Careers will be showcasing available positions from around Ontario. We will be adding careers throughout the week, so make sure to check in often. Each post includes a direct link to the official career posting, so you can apply in no time!
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement comprehensive production strategies that align with studio objectives and market demands
- Create and manage detailed project plans, schedules, and roadmaps, ensuring milestones are met while adapting to challenges and changes.
- Oversee the entire production lifecycle from initial concept through to final release and post-launch updates
- Manage project scope, timelines, and budgets to ensure high-quality results and timely delivery
- Lead epic, milestone, and sprint planning sessions, breaking down complex tasks into manageable subtasks
- Own and ensure the efficient execution of Agile rituals including Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, Backlog Refinement, and Daily Stand-ups
- Apply Agile methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban) and traditional Waterfall approaches as needed
- Track day-to-day efforts, address production issues, and resolve risks to keep projects on track
- Coordinate resource allocation, including team assignments and budget management, optimizing team size and composition for effective utilization
- Identify and mitigate potential project risks to ensure smooth development and delivery
- Facilitate communication between departments and act as the primary liaison between internal teams and external stakeholders
- Schedule and lead meetings, document key decisions, and ensure tasks are clearly defined and teams are regularly updated
- Collaborate with designers, artists, programmers, and ML engineers to ensure seamless integration of new features
- Communicate with platform and technology partners to coordinate technical efforts and third-party collaborations
- Continuously evaluate and enhance production processes, workflows, and tools
- Implement best practices and innovative solutions to improve efficiency and effectiveness
- Help establish systems, workflows, and processes within the company, collaborating with stakeholders and other departments
- Lead, guide, and mentor production teams, fostering a collaborative and professional work environment
- Provide actionable feedback and support the professional growth of team members
- When/if applicable: Manage Producers and Associate Producers, structuring efficient and balanced teams based on individual and project needs
- Coordinate with QA to ensure products meet quality standards and milestones
- Advocate for the end user by collecting and addressing player feedback, collaborating with QA to oversee testing and resolve issues before release
- Manage stakeholder expectations, provide regular updates, and gather feedback to ensure alignment with project goals
- Stay informed about high-level industry trends and player preferences in VR, MR, AR, AI, Metaverse, Web3, etc.
- Collaborate with creative teams to achieve each project’s vision and leverage the latest platform capabilities for an exceptional player experience
- Work with teams and leads to produce and maintain essential documentation such as technical onboarding materials, design docs, code standards, and art resources
- Communicate project status to stakeholders effectively, ensuring transparency and alignment throughout the production cycle
- Other related duties as required
Qualifications
If the following sounds like you, and you’re interested in joining a growing start-up, we want to hear from you! Not sure that you meet all qualifications? Cast those doubts away – we strongly welcome you to apply. We love to hear from people who are ecstatic about working in the XR industry and where it will evolve to.
- 5-7+ years in game production with a proven track record of managing complex projects and leading teams
- Demonstrated success in managing live service games, with experience in both direct and indirect people management for technical and creative teams.
- Experience and exposure helping with the coordination asset delivery during the final live ops phase, as well as communicating with art vendors and creative team members.
- 5-7+ years working in an agile environment (ie. including roles as a Scrum Master and/or Product Owner)
- Experience with Agile methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban) as well as traditional Waterfall approaches
- Proven ability to deliver high-quality results on time and within budget
- Advanced skills in project management, including budgeting, scheduling, and quality control
- Proficiency with project management tools such as JIRA and Confluence.
- Expertise in structuring and executing detailed project plans, schedules, and roadmaps to navigate challenges and changes effectively
- Deep understanding of game development processes, VR/XR technologies, and combat game mechanics
- Proficiency with game engines such as Unreal Engine
- Experience with analytics tools to monitor and enhance game performance
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with diverse teams and stakeholders
- Strong problem-solving abilities and the capability to inspire and motivate teams
- Empathetic approach with a creative and innovative mindset
- Ability to balance short-term and long-term goals effectively, and adapt to evolving project needs
- A knack for identifying problems and finding creative solutions, while maintaining a focus on both immediate and strategic objectives
- Comfortable being in a virtual environment for varying times wearing a VR headset
Added Advantages
- Experience and background with VR / MR / XR
- Post-secondary education in project management, business management or other related fields
- Project management certifications are a plus
- Experience in the combat game sector is an asset
- PC and console experience preferred over mobile
- An authentic understanding and passion about games / working in the industry
Responsibilities
- Design, prototype, and implement enemy behaviors, AI systems, and boss encounters that align with the vision of Warframe.
- Collaborate with animation, programming, and level design teams to ensure enemies and bosses are smoothly integrated and deliver a polished player experience.
- Guide and collaborate with the tools team to enhance the development flow for enemies, ensuring efficient and flexible processes for rapid iteration and testing.
- Develop and balance a diverse roster of enemies, mini-bosses, and main bosses, maintaining a consistent and engaging combat flow.
- Create compelling AI behaviors, attack patterns, and dynamic challenges for enemies and bosses, providing a fair yet exciting experience for players.
- Analyze combat data, player feedback, and internal playtests to refine and iterate on enemy and boss designs.
- Work closely with the narrative and art teams to ensure that enemies and bosses enhance the game’s story and thematic elements.
- Document and communicate enemy and boss design concepts clearly, ensuring alignment across all development teams.
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and innovations in enemy and boss design, bringing fresh ideas to the team.
- Participate in playtests, providing and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve combat encounters.
- Other responsibilities as assigned.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience as a Combat Designer or related role in the video game industry, with a focus on enemies and bosses.
- Proven experience designing and implementing enemy AI, behaviors, and boss encounters for action-oriented games, ideally in live service or multiplayer environments.
- Must have experience working on a 1st-person or 3rd-person game.
- Strong understanding of player feedback loops, hit detection, and animation timing to create responsive and satisfying combat interactions.
- Experience with game engines and familiarity with tools for designing AI and combat encounters.
- Ability to analyze gameplay data and user feedback to inform design decisions and balance combat features.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams.
- Detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced development environment.
- Passionate about action games and a deep understanding of what makes enemy and boss encounters engaging and memorable.
- Familiarity with Warframe’s core gameplay mechanics and combat systems.
Preferred Extras
- Experience with live service games and an understanding of ongoing balancing and content updates.
- Expertise in melee combat design and experience working on action-combat or character-action games.
- Familiarity with Warframe’s enemy design philosophy and a strong understanding of its community and player expectations.
- Basic skills in visual scripting or prototyping tools
- An avid gamer with a passion for creating compelling enemy and boss encounters, and a fan of Warframe or similar titles.
- Responsibilities
- Create stunning animations that are responsive and support the overall player experience.
- Work closely with the design team to create immersive experiences.
- Implement, troubleshoot, and debug animation systems in-engine.
- Help improve animation pipelines.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Art/Animation or equivalent experience.
- Minimum 1 year of experience animating video games.
- Outstanding demo reel (preferably demonstrating biped gameplay animations,in-game and in real time)
SKILLS
- Positive, solution-oriented individual, with deep-rooted interest in video games, and game development
- Exceptional skill in animating the human figure to create realistic character animations.
- Strong understanding of development issues in getting animations into a game.
- Ability to bring innovation and resolution to technical problems and challenges throughout production.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work closely with Artists, Designers and Programmers.
PLUSES
Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.
- Practical knowledge of programming languages (Python, C# / C++, etc.).
- Advanced knowledge of MotionBuilder and motion capture.
- Professional experience developing third person action games.
- Practical knowledge of state machines and motion trees.
- Responsibilities
- Develop and execute strategies to grow and engage the player community in line with our mission and vision.
- Understand audience and brand tone, ensuring consistent messaging and creating compelling content/initiatives.
- Build relationships with community members to enhance satisfaction and collaborate on updates and strategy.
- Foster community spirit and cultivate a positive online atmosphere, responding promptly to feedback and discussions.
- Optimize Discord server functionality, roles, integrations, and security while suggesting enhancements.
- Provide actionable feedback to enhance player experience.
- Monitor and analyze community growth, sentiment and engagement metrics, using insights to help shape future strategies and decisions.
- Relay community feedback, help facilitate testing, and collaborate on community content creation.
- Stay updated on emerging trends and competitive analysis in community building and online engagement; contributing innovative and novel ideas/activities.
- Other related duties as required.
QualificationsIf the following sounds like you, and you’re interested in joining a growing start-up, we want to hear from you! Not sure that you meet all qualifications? Cast those doubts away – we strongly welcome you to apply. We love to hear from people who are ecstatic about working in the XR industry and where it will evolve to.- 2-4+ years in community management, specializing in building and nurturing online gaming communities.
- Experience with VR / MR.
- Deep knowledge and understanding of Discord and proficient in related software/platforms.
- Developed and executed content strategies to drive community growth with a passion to cultivating a vibrant and engaged community.
- Managed communities for games/franchises in the XR gaming industry, including experience with game or feature launches.
- Experience managing servers with player communities of 5000+ individuals.
- Strong written, interpersonal and verbal communication skills. Adept at connecting with a variety of individuals and expressing ideas clearly and engagingly.
- Comfortable as a public-facing representative for the game and studio, following brand guidelines with a flair of fun and being personable.
- Data-driven approach to community management, rapidly translating feedback and KPIs with diligence into actionable strategies.
- Cross-functional collaboration with development, marketing, and QA teams. Mentored colleagues, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines.
- Self-motivated, with a creative mindset for organizing online events, initiatives and activities.
- Comfortable being in a virtual environment for varying times wearing a VR headset.
Added Advantages:- Experience with PC and console experience preferred over mobile.
- Understanding of adjacent platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, X/Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch.
- Post-secondary education in Marketing, Communications, other related fields or relevant experience.
- An authentic understanding and passion about games / working in the industry.
Upcoming Industry Events
We scour the web for industry events so that you don’t have to! Whether you are a growing indie studio, a student looking to network, or simply a fan of video games, we have an event for you. Filter by city, event type and much more in our fully customizable event calendar. New events will be added weekly so make sure to check back in regularly to keep up with the latest in the industry.
Still working on this Jennifer!
Games Library