NetEase Games has announced the opening of a new game studio in Canada, named Bad Brain Games, to work on an "ambitious new franchise," which will be a story-driven open-world action-adventure game. The game is inspired by cult 1980s films, and is built in Unreal Engine 5. Former Lead Producer at Ubisoft Toronto, Sean Crooks, will lead the new team. Sean has credits in the Driver, and Watch Dogs franchise so an open-world action game seems fitting. Bad Brain Games joins NetEase’s other Canadian companies SkyBox Labs in British Columbia, and NetEase Games Montreal in Montreal ..read more

Achimostawinan Games (@AchimoGames) have released their Indigenous cybernoir detective narrative adventure game Hill Agency: PURITYdecay for Steam and itch.io. Play as Meeygen Hill, a “tough as nails P.I., working in the neighbourhoods of one of the last major cities of North America.” CanadianGameDevs.com spoke to AchimoGames owner Meagan Byrne on our Podcast back in June 2020 (and stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Meagan and more from the team behind Hill Agency!) Hill Agency: PURITYdecay by Achimostawinan Games Hill Agency: PURITYdecay won Ubisoft’s Indie Series 2022 grand prize ..read more

With offices in Vancouver, BC, CD Projekt Red (@CDPROJEKTRED) has become one of, if not the first, AAA game studios operating in Canada to offer their employees paid menstrual leave. Announced via the company’s Twitter, CD Projekt Red’s PR rep said that the new benefit is creating "an environment where menstruating team members can feel more comfortable and supported to achieve their individual potential." We’re proud to offer menstrual leave to employees! Team members can now focus on their comfort & health by taking time off when suffering from period pain. It’s all about inclusivity &a ..read more

Kitchener-based indie studio Fluxscopic (@FluxscopicLtd) have released their 2021 puzzle-loaded action adventure game Mayhem in Single Valley on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch. Grab your controllers, residents! Mayhem in Single Valley is NOW AVAILABLE on #Switch, #PS & #Xbox!https://t.co/fzYCCqmtjt The game is playable on both next-gen and last-gen consoles via backward compatibility. pic.twitter.com/6UtRRcs60z — ? Mayhem in Single Valley ?️ (@MayhemValley) March 30, 2023 Published by tinyBuild (@tinyBuild), the game was released on PC in May 2021 with very positive reviews on Steam ..read more

Toronto-based Komi Games (@Komi_Games) partnered with Limited Run Games to release a physical edition of their 2021 arena fighter Mighty Fight Federation (@FightMighty) for PS4 and PS5. ICYMI—a federation of fighting game fundamentals! Pre-orders for Might Fight Federation on PS4 & PS5 launch this Friday! Learn More + Wishlist: https://t.co/x2aUo8k75e pic.twitter.com/V5ixGV9M3x — Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) March 27, 2023 Mighty Fight Federation launched in 2021 to positive reviews on Steam and a special edition that same year with Premium Edition Games. It’s now available on Ni ..read more

Montréal-based game dev @canarigames, @johanvinet has partnered with Limited Run Games to release physical copies of his upcoming 2D cinematic platformer LUNARK for PlayStation 4, 5 and Nintendo Switch. LUNARK is also coming to Steam and Xbox when it launches later this year on March 30, 2023 ..read more

Halifax-based Alpha Dog Games (@AlphaDogGames) has released their first game since being acquired by Bethesda Softworks in 2019 (and then joining Xbox Game Studios after Microsoft acquired Bethesda Softworks via ZeniMax Media in 2021) for Google and Apple devices Mighty DOOM, a top-down, single-touch action mobile shooter. play store app store Mighty DOOM is available now!https://t.co/su1CDWWsdb pic.twitter.com/IBc90YjGIW — MightyDOOM (@MightyDOOM) March 22, 2023 Starring what Alpha Dog says is an “all-new” character in the Mini Slayer, a sort of Pickle Rick situation. Alpha Dog Games, based ..read more

Vancouver-based indie game developer Nikko Nikko (@nikkonikkoLTD) has announced their upcoming “genre-melting Rhythm RPG” INFINITE GUITARS will release on March 30 for Steam, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Inside the blackhole... INFINITE GUITARS is coming to Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC on March 30th, 2023. pic.twitter.com/EoRceeTJIO — INFINITE GUITARS (@nikkonikkoLTD) March 16, 2023 INFINITE GUITARS is being published by Humble Games, a subsidiary of the IGN-owning Ziff Davis, Inc., publisher of other Canadian indies like A Short Hike (2019 ..read more

Vancouver, BC-based developer of The Long Dark (@IntoTheLongDark) Hinterland Studios (@HinterlandGames) is hiring for a new, unannounced sci-fi game codenamed “Project Hummingbird.” Posted on Hinterland’s LinkedIn page, a job listing for “a talented Environment Concept Artist to join our diverse team of game devs and help us set the tone and style of our new original science-fiction IP, code-named ‘Project Hummingbird’.” Studio founder Raphael van Lierop shared the job listing, adding “‘Hummingbird’ is something very special. Not biased a bit.” The Long Dark has been Hinterland’s only game rel ..read more

Larian Studios (@larianstudios), makers of Divinity: Original Sin 2, announced that their latest game Baldur’s Gate 3 is leaving Early Access on Steam, GOG and launching for PlayStation 5 on August 31, 2023. Larian has a studio in Québec but is headquartered in Belgium. An Xbox Series S|X version is planned but has no release date yet as Larian says they ran “into some technical issues ..read more