Still from the game ModNation Racers
Ever wondered where video games come from? Canada and even Vancouver happen to be two places that are really beginning to make their mark on the burgeoning entertainment industry.
One Yaletown company, formed in 2007, has busted onto the international video gaming platform with its first game, ModNation Racers. Recently, the game was awarded Most Innovative Game Award at the Canadian Video Game Awards (CVA) that was hosted in Vancouver.
“It is a great honour to receive an award from our peers, so getting two from the CVAs is double the fun,” says Julian Bleak, UFG executive producer. “Last year ModNation Racers won Most Promising Game of 2010. So to receive an Innovation Award makes us feel we delivered on that promise.”
Development for the game began in 2007 and more than 100 people worked on it. With its first video game an international hit right off the bat, Bleak’s team doesn’t seem to worry about buckling under the pressure to follow it up.
“United Front Games was formed to make games that stand beside the best in the industry,” he says. “That is why we are here and so we will do everything we can to achieve this each and every time we create a fun game experience for our fans.”
Bleak said Vancouver’s gaming industry is ripe with jobs and creativity.
“Vancouver’s gaming industry has been around for a few decades, about as old as it gets,” he explains. “It’s filled with smart and motivated people with a passion for entertainment. The only possible outcome is great games. This is the place we want to be.”
“When you mix a Vancouver start-up made up of gaming veterans with a passion for innovation and a publisher who has the ideal platform for a race, create, share game you get Modnation Racers,” he says. “United Front Games and Sony Computer Entertainment brought a mix of design, software, hardware, network and experience together to build this game.”
ModNation Racers was developed for the PS3 and PSP. It incorporates online user-created content in a big way that sets it apart from other racing games.
“Fans have made well over two million creatures in our game,” he says. “Every creation can be played by every other player for free. This kind of value is easy to understand.”
As far as advice for others looking to crack into the growing industry, Bleak says to look no further than your own city.
“The first place to look would be our local schools; they have a great reputation and teachers are often experienced industry veterans that have a lot to offer,” he adds. “Once you have the knowhow, and if you have a passion for games, it’s a fantastic industry to be in.”
Not spilling the beans on what’s next for United Front Games, Bleak says the company is putting its efforts into each game and looks forward to what the future holds.
“We are excited about the future, but just like the Canucks we focus on one game at a time,” he says. “You’ll have to wait just a little longer to see what we are up to next.”
