CanadianGameDevs.com Podcast

Steve adds an obscene amount of demos to his Steam Deck (Dad Deck), we talk about everything Canadian coming up in gaming in 2024 to distract from Stephan's recent termination at the hands of a true coward. Steve's also going to have a baby, so if you want to help us with the site sometime this year reach out lol onward!

-> <3 Nominate your favourite Canadian games in our '23 Community Awards polls right here <3 <-

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE!

CANADIAN GAME DEV JOBS | CANADIAN GAME DEV EVENTS 

WISHLIST THIS:

1. Elemental Survivors by @SamobeeGames in BC, Canada. In Early Access till Feb - Aug ‘24, Wishlist on Steam.

2. Lil' Guardsman by @PlayHilltop in Toronto, ON. Launching 23 Jan, 2024, Wishlist on Steam.

3. Fowl Damage by @moltanem2000 and @rednexusgames in Victoria, BC. Launching TBD, Wishlist on Steam.

EPISODE CREDITS:

MUSIC USED:

- 57sec - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

- 11min28sec - The Power from Baldur's Gate 3 OST

- 27min29sec - Sailor of Bogs from Sea of Stars OST

- 42min42sec - Sovereign Syndicate Menu Music

- 1hr02min52sec - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (London, ON) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "f*#king Unionize" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

SOCIALS:

Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord! | Formerly Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | TikTok @canadiangamedevs | Instagram @canadiangamedevs!

-> Nominate your favourite Canadian games in our '23 Community Awards polls right here <-

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE!

OVERVIEW:

After a (ginormous) hiatus, Steve and Stephan are BACK to discuss some Canadian Games Industry news from the past few months but just catch up and talk about games and big game thoughts, man.

We're also launching our 2023 Community Awards polls- same as last year there's a week to nominate and another week to vote on the top nominees.

Nominate your favourite Canadian games here <3

CANADIAN GAME DEV JOBS | CANADIAN GAME DEV EVENTS 

WISHLIST THIS:

1. Pony Island 2: Panda Circus developed and published by Daniel Mullins Games (@DMullinGames) in Vancouver, BC. Releasing 2025/6, Wishlist on Steam

2. Blood Running developed and published by Dead Unicorn (@DeadUnicornInc) in Calgary, AB. Releasing TBD 2024, Wishlist on Steam

3. The Unknown developed and published by Triple Tap Games (@TripleTapGames1) in Canada. Releasing March 4, 2024, Wishlist on Steam

EPISODE CREDITS:

MUSIC USED:

00:00 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

07:39 - 'Good Time' by @alpha_something (Toronto, ON) feat. Chetpet Gaana Prabha from Venba

09:09 - theme song from Podcast Beyond (can't find credits anywhere, man...)

36:40 - 'Wunderschonenburg' by @AShellinthePit (Vancouver, BC) from The Last Hero of Nostalgia

45:07 - 'Middle Kingdom' by @JonahSenzel (USA) from Pony Island 2: Panda Circus

01:04:35 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (London, ON) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "f*#king Unionize" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

SOCIALS:

Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord | Follow us on Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | Follow us on our hot new TikTok @canadiangamedevs | We also share to Instagram!

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE!

Follow our guest and patron Jake VanderHeide (@VanderheideJake) <3

CanadianGameDevs' Discord | Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | TikTok @canadiangamedevs | Instagram @canadiangamedevs

MUSIC USED:

00:11 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

24:39 - 'King of the Spill' by @TeeLopes (NYC)

40:11 - South of Midnight announcement trailer by @CompulsionGames (Montréal, QC)

1:05:05 - The Outlast Trials menu theme by @TheRedBarrels (Montréal, QC)

1:55:28 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "about to drive 2000km at once" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord | Follow us on Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | Follow us on our hot new TikTok @canadiangamedevs | We also share to Instagram

OVERVIEW:

In Stephan's last ever episode recorded from Halifax (probably) we go over Mighty DOOM's chart topping launch, big indie launches from Newfoundland to Victoria Island and more Canadian gaming news and wishlists. Steve gives his thoughts (so far) on Canadian indies Hill Agency:PURITYdecay, Fire Station and Super Animal Royale then Stephan breaks down his current GOTY DREDGE.

SEE UPCOMING CANADIAN GAMING EVENTS!

CANADIAN GAMING NEWS:

Halifax, NS: Mighty DOOM Most Downloaded Game on iOS and Play Store in the US (and the 6th worldwide)

Halifax, NS: A Little to the Left: Cupboards & Drawers DLC Announced for Switch

Kitchener, ON: Mayhem in Single Valley Launches on Consoles

Newfoundland: Ayre Flies Onto PlayStation and Xbox

Vancouver, BC: Rift of the Necrodancer Announced for Switch

Victoria, BC: Sky Haven: AR Merge Adventure Launches on Google Play in Canada

WISHLIST THIS:

Chaotic Era (@chaotic_era) by BOBBY TECHNOLOGY INC. (which is Gabriel O'Flaherty-Chan & Kevin Donnelly) from Toronto, ON. (Last wishlisted Jan 25/2019 for Summer 2020 iOS Beta). Now you can buy it in Early Access on itch.io. “Chaotic Era is an atmospheric strategy game inspired by classic science fiction, following a stranded human crew on an alien planet.”

Omega Strikers (@PlayOmega) by Odyssey Interactive (@OdysseyStudio) in Waterloo, ON. Releasing April 27th, 2023 for Steam, phones, and consoles. “Smash opponents off the arena and score goals in this lightning-fast 3v3 free-to-play game. Squad up with friends to sling slimes, toss tofu, and rocket boost to victory.”

Rogue Station by Quint Studio (@QuintStudioGame) in Canada. In Early Access until 2024, Get it on Steam. “This "space station builder simulation roguelite" puts you in charge of a space station. Fight off enemy ships, fleets and rival stations to dominate your corner of space. Build and upgrade your station, hire and manage your crew. Survive as long as you can.”

MUSIC USED:

00:00:00 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

00:07:31 - Mighty DOOM theme by @JoshLRichardson (Halifax, NS)

00:24:53 - Mayhem in Single Valley by @FluxscopicLtd (Kitchener, ON)

00:37:30 - Rogue Station steam trailer by @QuintStudioGame (Canada)

00:49:01- Tetris Theme (Korobeiniki) composed by @andrew_skeet (London, UK) & performed by @philharmonia (London, UK)

01:08:52 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "about to drive 2000km at once" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

FULL EPISODE NOTES HERE!

- Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord

- Follow us on Twitter @CanadaGameDevs

- Follow us on our hot new TikTok @canadiangamedevs

- We also share to Instagram

SEE UPCOMING CANADIAN GAMING EVENTS!

SEE CANADIAN GAMING NEWS!

MUSIC USED:

- 00:00 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

- 02:24 - 'Echo Generation (Main Theme)' by @itsPusher (Toronto, ON)

- 35:10 - 'Backpack' by @hollett_samuel (Toronto, ON)

- 45:52 - announcement trailer for Anvil Empires scored and sound designed by @romdiprisco (Toronto, ON)

- 1:05:00 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "Guitar Picker" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

Checkout our 1st interview w. Meagan in 2015 | And our 2nd interview in 2020

OVERVIEW:

Returning guest Meagan Byrne, founder of Achimostawinan Games (@AchimoGames), as well as Art Lead @Sadekaronhes join Stephan to discuss the recent release of their Indigenous noir detective adventure game Hill Agency: PURITYdecay for PC and hear their stories from the game's development.

You can buy Hill Agency: PURITYdecay for Steam and itch.io (but buy it on itch.io so they get more money).

MUSIC USED:

All from the Hill Agency: PURITYdecay Original Soundtrack:

00:00 - 'Akâmaskiy Blues' by Colin R. Lloyd (feat. David Guy)

21:30 - 'Galaxyland' by Colin R. Lloyd

37:09 - 'Better Than You Samba' by Colin R. Lloyd

58:10 - 'Song of my People' by Honor.beatz (feat. Dan Nanamkin)

HOSTED & PRODUCED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS)

❤️ made possible thanks to our lovely Patrons ❤️

Follow our guest @haleyfax!

Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord | Follow us on Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | Follow us on our hot new TikTok @canadiangamedevs | We also share to instagram

OVERVIEW:

We're thrilled to be joined by Haligonian gamer lawyer extraordinaire Haley MacLean (@haleyfax, get it) to discuss her GDC experience and impressions, specifically the Goodbye Volcano High demo (and Stephan geeks out over Night in the Woods). We also discuss a duo of Halifax mobile indies launched this past week, several Canadian indies getting physical copies (one as a preorder) and a 2nd Hinterland project?!

SEE UPCOMING CANADIAN GAMING EVENTS!

Vancouver, BC: Town One- An Incubator Game Jam (Fri, Jun 9, 4:00 PM  Sun, Jun 11, 9:00 PM) "Preparing you to game industry work with networking, mentorship and practical development."

CANADIAN GAMING NEWS:

Halifax, NS: Mighty DOOM Launches on Google and Apple Devices

Halifax, NS: Red Meat Games Launches Project Dark on iOS and Android, Steam and Switch Coming Soon

Montréal, QC: LUNARK Physical Editions up for Pre-order, Coming to PS4/5, Xbox, PC/Mac Later This Year

Montréal, QC: Lucid Dreams Launching Kickstarter for Dark Metroidvania BIOMORPH

Montréal, QC: Bloodroots from Paper Cult Getting Physical Editions for Playstation 4 and 5, Pre-orders End April 2

Vancouver, BC: Hinterland Hiring for Unannounced IP Codenamed Bat Falcon

WISHLIST THIS:

The Depths - 2D Dungeon Crawler for the Playdate by @agmcleod (Toronto, ON) (Follow progress in our Discord)

Hope by a trio of devs (1 confirmed in Canada) @satanas82/@amante_records/@AzraelCcs and on itch.io - with an Alpha! “Hope is a sci-fi point-and-click adventure with an emphasis on mini-games that takes place in a future where humanity is testing tools for interstellar travel but also destroying Earth’s ecosystem, pushing the human race to the verge of extinction. “

Broken Spectre by Games by Stitch (@gamesbystitch) in Toronto, ON, wishlist on Oculus Store. Releasing June 12, 2023. “a cosmic horror narrative adventure game developed in collaboration with the makers of The Blair Witch Project. A cryptic message left by her father takes Casey back to the abandoned trails of Coldblood Mountain, a remote wilderness that has haunted her family for generations. A terrifying power stalks the mountain, watching Casey’s every move. Can Casey find her father using the clues he left behind? Or will something else find her first?”

MUSIC USED:

00:30 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

5:23 - 'The Catacombs' LUNARK OST by @johanvinet (Montréal, QC)

31:20 - The Long Dark Main Theme by Minerva Sheryl (Singapore)

45:34 - 'Don't Call' by @chefdabu (Ft. Brigitte Naggar of @common_holly)

1:09:16 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "can't get out of the village" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE!

Join the CanadianGameDevs' Discord | Follow us on Twitter @CanadaGameDevs | Follow us on our hot new TikTok @canadiangamedevs | We also share to Instagram again!

OVERVIEW:

The boys are back after a brief hiatus: a little older, a little wiser, a little more worn down- but that doesn't stop us from bringing you the latest Canadian gaming news, events, upcoming releases and game impressions.

We talk new 2023 release dates for big upcoming Canadian games, Chivalry II's 2023 roadmap FINALLY bringing cross-platform parties to the beloved Monty Pythonsian medieval slapsticker. Phoenix Labs regains their independence, being reborn as a privately held corporation like a phoenix from the ashes of their parent company and more- including Stephan's extreme disappointment in Atomic Hearts, and Steve's folding immediately for the PSVR 2. Enjoy!

SEE UPCOMING CANADIAN GAMING EVENTS!

Toronto, ON: Toronto Game Expo 2022 (Saturday, March 25, 2023) "A Toronto physical game market with vendors selling retro to current gen videogames."

CANADIAN GAMING NEWS:

Montréal, QC: Goodbye Volcano High Gets New June Release Date, Story Trailer

Québec, QC: Baldur’s Gate 3 Leaves Early Access, Launches on PS5 End of August

Toronto, ON: Get In The Car, Loser! Receives 2nd DLC Chapter The Fate of Another World

Toronto, ON: Chivalry II Receiving Cross-Platform Parties, More Updates in 2023 Roadmap

Vancouver, BC: Darkest Dungeon 2 Exits Early Access, Launches on Steam in May

Vancouver, BC: Phoenix Labs Buys out Parent Company to Become Independent

Vancouver, BC: New Original Sci-fi IP Code-Named “Project Hummingbird” Coming from Hinterland

Canada: Trio of Canadian Indies Featured in February Nintendo Direct

WISHLIST THIS:

INFINITE GUITARS by Nikko Nikko (@nikkonikkoLTD) in Vancouver, BC, and published by Humble Bundle. Launching March 30, 2023, Wishlist on Steam. “Fight mechs with metal-crushing rock in Infinite Guitars, a genre-melting Rhythm RPG featuring vibrant anime-inspired art and a blazing original soundtrack. Battle against war machines with electrifying Guitar Solos, and save the planet!”

Edge Of Dead: Under A Uranium Sky by Inferno Muse Interactive (@InfernoMuse) in Ottawa, ON. Releasing TBD, Wishlist on Steam and try the Demo! “In this action roguelike game you’ll fight your way from a remote mining colony to the inner worlds of an alien infested star system. Choose a crew member, grab a weapon, and prepare for chaos!”

Dark Age Dinos by Woolly Walrus Games (@WoollyWalrusInc) in Toronto, ON. Wishlist on Steam, releasing in Early Access TBD. “Dark Age Dinos is a tactical roguelite. Travel alone or with friends through a medieval world of sword wielding dinosaurs. Strategize your way through short adventures where teamwork is the key to success!”

MUSIC USED:

01:32 - Intro Music by @jakebutineau (Toronto, ON)

09:52 - 'Five Spot Stump' from Floor Kids OST by @kidkoala (Montréal, QC)

38:58 - 'Spirit of the Times' from Get in the car, Loser! by @OhPoorPup (Seattle, WA) & vocals by Jami Lynne (Tucson, AZ)

53:35 - Dark Age Dinos trailer song by Woolly Walrus Games (Toronto, ON)

1:16:00 - 'State Anthem of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics' by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (Russia)

1:26:36 - Outro Music by @Composingdan (Toronto, ON)

HOSTED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS) & @StephenLCrane (Owen Sound, ON)

PRODUCED BY: Stephan "Bachelor Boy" Reilly

PODCAST ART BY: @Poltergust234! (Ko-fi - Alberta)

Get into Hololabs' Mobile AR Game SkyHaven's Beta! | Get Floor Kids on everything | Checkout JonJon's Twitch channel!

OVERVIEW:

Over 5 years ago, Victoria, BC-based Hololabs (@hololabs) launched their indie rhythm dance game Floor Kids (@FloorKidsCrew) on Steam and Nintendo Switch. A collaboration between Hololabs and longtime creative partners Kid Koala (@kidkoala) and JonJon (@JonJonAnimation), Floor Kids represents the pure expressionism of a form like breakdancing translated to a videogame by a primary source in bboy JonJon animating as well as self-referencing the poses for the dance moves. Kid Koala did all the beats and sounds and Hololabs codemonkeyed all of it together.

We talk about how JonJon and Kid Koala came to become strong collaborators, how they ended up working with Hololabs, how they locked down Switch console exclusivity for launch and more of the game's development story. Lead programmer Amesh (@ameshnarsing) breaks down how he got recruited to do things like ensure the transition animation frames between dance moves work, and he tells us how the team stumbled onto the Virtua Fighter-esque strobe effect for the dancing specials and more! And Rob hangs out (@robtomroe - he works there, just not on Floor Kids).

MUSIC USED:

Used Kid Koala's 'Floor Kids MegaMix' at: 22:24, 45:59, 1:05:59, 1:18:25, 1:39:21

Also used:

00:00 - 'Was He Slow?' from Baby Driver OST by @kidkoala

01:13 - 'Five Spot Stump' from Floor Kids OST by @kidkoala

25:44 - Floor Kids: B-Boy O-Live vs. B-Boy Nugs by @kidkoala and @JonJonAnimation

27:03 - 'Fender Bender' by @kidkoala

57:18 - 'Hoe Cakes' by @MFDOOM

58:59 - 'Favorite Song' by @chancetherapper feat. @donaldglover

1:14:20 - 'The Ones' by @kidkoala

HOSTED & PRODUCED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS)

❤️ made possible thanks to our lovely Patrons ❤️

Get and Follow TUNIC | Checkout PowerUp Audio | Play some Sparse games

LIGHT SPOILERS FOR TUNIC IN THE INTERVIEW!

OVERVIEW:

Primary Developer and Designer Andrew Shouldice (@dicey/Halifax, NS), Audio Director Kevin Regamey (@regameyk/Vancouver, BC) and Level Artist Eric Billingsley (@SparseGameDev/Ottawa, ON) join Stephan to discuss the award-winning isometric adventure game TUNIC on its 1-year anniversary.

We hear advice on avoiding some of the nostalgia-focused design traps that can lead devs astray, how to capture a classic game’s feeling rather than just a classic art style or old-school mechanic- and more interesting details from TUNIC's development and reception since launch, especially from the speedrunning community.

Our community selected TUNIC as the Best Canadian Game of 2022 in our community awards poll earlier this year, and it’s nominated for a slew of awards in the upcoming GDC, IGF and BAFTA shows in the coming months.

MUSIC USED:

all from TUNIC's OST composed by @lifeformed × @alsojanice (Taipei):

- 00:00/1:09:34 - 'Memories of Memories'

- 11:12 - 'Ancient Futures'

- 26:18 - 'Ocean Glaze'

- 39:00 - 'Sunset Breakfast'

- 51:20 - 'Forget to Forget'

HOSTED & PRODUCED BY: @StephanReilly (Halifax, NS)

❤️ made possible thanks to our lovely Patrons ❤️