MobileSyrup

Do you think you can spot a deepfake video? Could your likeness be used against you in the near future? How are deepfakes actually created? We tackle all of this and more in the latest episode of The Tech Effect. Check it out over on our YouTube page! https://lnkd.in/egyjfv5J

I had the great pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Ben Starr, the lead of Final Fantasy XVI and the upcoming Warframe: 1999. We had a really fun chat about joining Warframe and its massive community, the lovely folks at London, Ontario’s Digital Extremes, Toronto Pearson Airport, Tim Hortons and more. Final Fantasy is what made me want cover games, so to get to interview the star of the latest mainline FF game for work was a real privilege!

Last weekend, I attended my first-ever TennoCon, and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. In just a brief time, I've become truly in awe of Warframe and the massive global community that London, Ontario's own Digital Extremes has fostered over more than a decade. Sizeable gaming events focused on a single title really are quite rare, so it speaks to the popularity of Warframe that thousands of fans from around the world head to southwestern Ontario every year to celebrate it. I also had the pleasure of chatting with DE's Megan Everett (Warframe's director of community and live ops) and Final Fantasy XVI's Ben Starr (who plays Arthur in the big Warframe: 1999 update) to learn more about what goes into all of this. So inspiring to see such a great Canadian success story, and I really think a lot of companies can learn from what DE has done with Warframe! 🇨🇦 🎮

For years now, I've been calling for more consumer video game events in Canada. While we've had a couple over the years, they've generally either fizzled out (like EGLX) or simply de-emphasized gaming (like Fan Expo). With that in mind, it was a pleasure chatting with Prakash Amarasooriya, the founder and CEO of Toronto-based Kashamara Productions. On top of successful Canadian Dragon Ball anime concerts, he's already helped bring concerts for the likes of Stardew Valley and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (my favourite game!) to Canada. He also has other events in the works alongside broader plans to expand Kashamara's types of gaming programming. The fact that Kashamara is just a one-man operation makes it all the more impressive. I love the work that he's doing and I hope more companies take note!

Last week, I traveled to PlayStation’s global HQ in San Mateo to play Concord, a new online 5v5 multiplayer shooter, and speak to developer Firewalk Studios . I’m not normally into live service games, but I ended up enjoying the experience a lot more than I expected, particularly for its approachability. My full preview is live on MobileSyrup!

At Ubisoft Forward in LA, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Mathias Karlson, game director at Massive Entertainment - A Ubisoft Studio, and Navid Khavari, narrative director at Ubisoft Toronto, about Star Wars Outlaws. We talked about offering unique twists on Star Wars archetypes, balancing fan service, the approach to open-world design & their Sweden-Canada partnership. Especially loved hearing from Navid about the impact Canadians have had on the game! 🇨🇦 🎮 "There's absolutely just a huge wellspring of talent from Canada that's been contributing to the game and giving some of that Canadian spirit and flavour." After speaking with them and playing Outlaws for an hour, I can't wait for August!

One of my key takeaways from Summer Game Fest this year was just how many Canadian games were featured! 🇨🇦 🎮 On the AAA side, we had such juggernauts as BioWare Edmonton's Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Vancouver-based The Coalition Studio's Gears of War: E-Day, Ubisoft Quebec City's Assassin's Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws (co-developed by Ubisoft Toronto) being featured prominently in the big showcases. And in terms of indies, we got gems like All Systems Dance (Toronto's Mighty Yell), Battle Vision Network (Toronto's Capybara Games) and Psychroma (Toronto's Rocket Adrift Games). Truly inspiring to see Canadian creators show up in such a big way on the global stage! My full breakdown on MobileSyrup:

Is technology the cause or the cure for insomnia? Can tracking your sleep or laying on a self-cooling bed actually improve the quality of your sleep? Find out in the latest episode of The Tech Effect. https://lnkd.in/e_dy2U5Q

If a GPS told you to drive into a lake, would you? Obviously not, right? But this has happened. Multiple times. Should we trust technology? Let's find out on the latest episode of The Tech Effect. https://lnkd.in/erc3WMNy

Your smartphone is stealing from you. Most of us have accepted this -- or are at least aware of it. But what does that mean beyond just having your data out in the wild? It goes beyond sharing your name and location. It helps apps to keep you around for hours at a time. It means that you're more likely to click on links because they're relevant to you. And it means that people might find out you like pineapple on pizza. That last one is especially scary. Learn about this and more in the latest episode of The Tech Effect. https://lnkd.in/e6_3yKys