Alberta's game industry had a busy Q1. Game launches, console ports, a new youth esports league, and a Team Alberta presence at GDC. Cory breaks it all down in the Q1 2026 quarterly update alongside guest Jennifer LaFace, co-founder and creative director at Only By Midnight and board director at Digital Alberta.

Edmonton: Sovereign Syndicate landed on Xbox and PlayStation. Caldera Interactive launched The Rabbit Haul demo on Steam. VR Cave unveiled a Meta Quest title under new sub-brand Basement Bunker Labs. Beamdog dropped a surprise update for the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Editions. NorQuest Esports launched Campus Clash 2026, a youth esports league for ages 13 to 18.

Calgary: Red Iron Labs secured $2 million in provincial investment for its stroke rehab gaming platform. DragonSpire Games released Boyfiend and Ghoulfriend. The CGDA launched a new masterclass series at Platform Calgary. Salt Flats 2026 drew over 150 competitors to Bow Valley College's Digital Entertainment Nexus — one of the largest esports events in Western Canada, running since 2013.

Alberta-wide: Game Con Canada returns this June alongside the inaugural North American Games Industry Summit. Nearly 200 jammers participated in Global Game Jam across the province.

Jen also covers Digital Alberta's upcoming community dialogue, the CMF 2026 intake timeline, a March 18th program announcement on talent development and organizational funding, and additional options through Creative Export Canada, AEP, and Edmonton Screen.

Subscribe wherever you listen. Catch all the latest episodes, local esports and game dev directory, and send story leads to goodgameyeg.ca.

​​Ethan Horkulak, co-founder of French Bread Gaming, joins Cory "Sellarcast" Sellar to tell the full story about the local esports organization and how it’s supporting the local competitive fighting game scene.

What started with nine-person brackets in a community hall has grown into Bread Basket, now drawing 207+ attendees and live viewership from Smash legends Hungrybox and Larry Lurr. The 2026 edition expands to eight titles and moves into NorQuest College's atrium.

In this episode, Ethan maps out the entire journey: the early grind, the pivotal partnership with Canadian Icehouse in Ice District that gave FBG a permanent weekly home, the catering miscalculation that cost him $1,000 out of pocket and nearly ended everything, and how Victory Road brought it all back.

One more thing… The BIG announcement. In 2026, French Bread Gaming launches an official esports team anchored by the Rising Star Program, a structured initiative to give minorities and underrepresented players the resources to compete professionally. Ethan also breaks down the broader Edmonton fighting game ecosystem, the Western Canada circuit FBG is building, and the long-term goal: a national-level event at Ford Hall in Rogers Place.

It’s the 2025 Q4 PartyChat from Good Game Edmonton and Digital Alberta!

In this quarterly update, we welcomed Rowan Sommerfeld (CGDA), Mike McCready (NAIT/Digital Alberta), and Rosche Rheeder (Lucid Rain Studios) to unpack another productive three months of the evolving game development landscape in Alberta.

From the impact of AI on workflows and the challenges of attracting investment to the growth of the Calgary and Edmonton games scenes. And somewhere between a Smash Bros tournament in Calgary and a literal fire alarm at a games conference in Edmonton the provincial scene is progressing.

What We Covered:

• Moving past the hype of AI into actual workflows and how new CRTC standards are reshaping Canadian content
• Miles "Soonsay" Foster's global Smash Bros run and the launch of Calgary Games Kiln
• Arcanaut Studios lands a Lucasfilm Games partnership for the spiritual successor to KOTOR, headed up by BioWare legend Casey Hudson
• How NAIT's new specialized Game Development streams are training next gen developers
• Real talk on the Alberta Game Series and practical advice for pitch competitions
• Edmonton-based Lucid Rain Studios getting IGN feature, plus full-time team

Listen now and catch up on everything that made Q4 the most exciting quarter for Alberta games yet.

Games & Studios Featured:

• Hunters Moon by Crimson Herring Studios → Wishlist on Steam
• INFERIUS by Lucid Rain Studios → Wishlist on Steam

Connect With Us:

• goodgameyeg.ca
• digitalalberta.com
• calgary.games

What happens when a Juilliard-trained playwright and award-winning comedian designs video game narratives?

Leif Olesen-Cormack (The Low Road, Tales Noir Preludes) discusses the biggest creative challenges in game development today. Plus, more on his multifaceted arts career.

Leif and Cory attempt to unpack their version of the heated debate around artificial intelligence, discussing why AI is fantastic for mundane tasks but can lack the crucial "soul" and human experience needed to craft truly meaningful art and comedy. This leads to a discussion on how Leif’s work in games forced him to reverse-engineer stories to align with existing game mechanics and complex conversation puzzles. Not to mention dealing with the unique difficulty of landing jokes in a game where traditional comedic timing is disrupted. In the final act, we learn why growing up in the Edmonton arts scene provides an unexpected advantage over major creative hubs like New York.

Plus, Leif offers a preview of his upcoming comedy album recording, Alone Ranger.

Important Links:

• thelowroad.com/
• store.steampowered.com/app/2020030/Tails_Noir_Preludes/ 
• leifoc.com/
• edmontonarts.ca/event/leif-oleson-cormack-alone-ranger-live-album-taping
• instagram.com/leifoc/
• store.steampowered.com/app/3001200/Tails_Noir_Rebel_Rush

It's the Q3 Party Chat from Good Game Edmonton and Digital Alberta!

This time, welcoming two industry voices: Nathaniel Rossol of VR Cave and Travis Gibson of Snowed In Studios to break down the latest in Alberta's interactive digital media (IDM) scene.

This episode celebrates major wins and tackles industry-wide disruption:

• Shipping & Scaling: Hear how VR Cave landed CMF funding to build a "full-blown, much larger" game, Heroes Together VR, and scored almost 2,000 wishlists at Gamescom.
• Co-Dev & AAA: Snowed In (Starfield, Fallout Shelter) offers insight into the essential world of co-development and what it takes to thrive in the AAA pipeline.
• Industry Shakes: The panel addresses the anxiety around recent widespread layoffs and the massive $55 billion leveraged buyout of EA, offering advice on resilience and why smart studios still greatly value juniors and new professionals.
• Community Milestones: A rundown of the 10th anniversary of GDX, the recent Alberta Game Jam, new initiatives like Baby Ghosts Alberta, and the Alberta Scholastic Esports League (ASEL) call for venue proposals for the 2026 Alberta Esports Championship.

⁠Important Links:

• digitalalberta.com

• snowedin.ca

• vrcave.io 

• basementbunkerlabs.com

• interactiveartsalberta.org  

• itch.io/jam/alberta-game-jam-2025 

• babyghosts.fund/peer-accelerator 

• lucidrainestudios.com

• gameinvestwest.ca 

• norquest.ca/esports 

• asel.gg 

• edmontonscreen.com 

More of the show: goodgameyeg.ca⁠

The Alberta Scholastic Esports League (ASEL) is officially heading into its first school year as a newly independent organization, and Shadi Hanna is here to share all the details. After a successful pilot year, ASEL is building on its momentum to create a supportive and competitive ecosystem for students and teachers across Alberta.

Join us as we explore the vision behind ASEL, from its roots in the Alberta Esports Association to its new identity. We cover everything you need to know about getting involved, whether you're a teacher looking to start a program, a parent curious about the benefits of esports, or a student eager to compete. Learn how ASEL is fostering teamwork, sportsmanship, and even boosting school attendance.

Believe it or not, this marks the first PartyChat segment on Good Game Edmonton, a new quarterly update with Digital Alberta. This episode serves up a fun, conversational recap of the first half of the year in Alberta’s interactive digital media (IDM) space. Normally this will be showcasing highlights from the last three months. We’re pulling back the curtain on the latest developments and opportunities with Amber Scott (Only By Midnight), Tuncer Deniz (Shifty Eye Games), and Chris Entwistle (Digital Alberta).

Hear about the impact of AI and the rise of indie studios, to top headlines of funding and game updates, and upcoming events like the Alberta Games Series (AGS) – which, as Amber wisely tells us (and also her favourite expression), means we’re deep into that last 10% of the project that also takes 90% of the time!

Plus, we may have revealed AGS is now coinciding with Edmonton Startup Week 2025! Get ready for insightful discussions, behind-the-scenes stories, and passionate gamer vibes.

goodgameyeg.ca

digitalalberta.com

This episode features James Dang, Project Manager at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), to talk about the intersection of AI and games. James shares insights into his work helping companies integrate AI/ML solutions, the evolving role of AI in game development, and Upper Bound, Amii’s “not your average AI conference”. We also nerd out over which single player, story-driven games we enjoy playing. Oh, and we battle it out in Mario Party! 🎲🎉  

Recorded at Kiwi Productions Studio

Listen to more episodes atgoodgameyeg.ca

Important Links

• globalgamejam.org/group/11580/games
• globalgamejam.org/group/11953/games
• interactiveartsalberta.org/
• upperbound.ai/
• amii.ca/

For the first episode of 2025 in the Kiwi Productions studio, we catch up with Travis Bouchard, Esports Director at Vimy Ridge Academy, who’s back to share exciting updates since his last visit in Episode 5! Now entering its fourth year, the program has expanded from 14 to 31 student-athletes, with notable milestones such as qualifying for national competitions and hosting in-person events. Travis highlights the importance of treating esports participants like traditional athletes and building a supportive community environment. Plus, we hear more about what he’s been up to with the AESA academic subcommittee, what’s next for the Alberta Esports Championship, and a new coaches clinic. Tune in for a great mix of laughs, insights, and surprising wins over some Mario Kart action!

Episodes and more: goodgameyeg.ca

Important Links:

goodgameyeg.ca/episodes/vimy-united-travis-bouchard

vimyedmonton.ca/esports/

aec2024.ca/

goodgameyeg.ca/episodes/legitimate-sport-jesse-sedlowski

esportsalberta.ca/academic-panel

goodgameyeg.ca/episodes/academic-build-ft-shadi-hanna

esportsalberta.ca/asel

esportcanada.org/education

atle.ca/whats-happening/prolearn/esports

kiwiproductions.ca

A public service announcement given by the show's host to get started with 2025. We've come a long way since the early days of 2024.

Choose your adventure at goodgameyeg.ca.