Canadian Video Game Awards 2011

December 2, 2010 (Vancouver, B.C.) - The Canadian video game industry will once again gather on the West Coast this spring to celebrate its world-class developers at the Second Annual Canadian Video Game Awards ceremony, taking place in Vancouver on May 18th at the Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Canadian Video Game Awards will be held the night before the Canadian Game Conference (formerly GDC-Canada) in Vancouver. As the third largest developer of video games in the world, the show will celebrate Canada's spot on the world stage as a leader in interactive entertainment. The show will also be broadcast across the country on G4 Canada through the Rogers Network, and tickets for the event will be available to the public in the coming weeks. 

"Last year's show was a screaming success and got great reviews from both fans and the industry" said Victor Lucas, co-host and executive producer of The Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run.  "The event was a long-overdue recognition of how much incredible interactive entertainment is made every year in this country and 2010 was a true blockbuster for Canadian-made games.  We're looking forward to another great show in a spectacular venue." 

This year, Canadian video game developers created multi-million sellers, such as Assassin's Creed:  Brotherhood, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell:  Conviction and FIFA Soccer 11.  "Thousands of brilliant, passionate Canadians, from coast to coast, work in this industry and we can't wait to once again honour their work and to continue to foster inspiration for tomorrow's great Canadian video game makers" said Lucas.

To add to the event, Video Games Live will be back to provide the entertainment for the evening. This musical convergence of sound, games and effects has garnered fans across the globe, and is the first and most successful video game concert tour in the world.

Sponsors for the event have begun to come onboard, with notable participation from  Radical Entertainment, Heenan Blaikie, Great Northern Way Campus, Catchy Consulting Inc., Spectrum HR Law LLP and G4. 

Nominations opened today for the Awards and are welcome from all parts of Canada's game industry.

The Call for Nominations will close on February 28, 2011. The award categories, as selected by a committee of industry leaders from across Canada, are:

·    Game of the Year

·    Best Console Game

·    Best Game on the Go

·    Best Downloadable Game

·    Best Social/Casual Game

·    Best Game Design

·    Best Technology

·    Best Audio

·    Best Visual Arts

·    Best Writing

·    Best Student Game

·    Innovation Award

Finalists in all categories will be announced April 15, 2011, when public voting for Game of the Year will open.

The Canadian Video Game Awards are produced by Reboot Communications in association with Greedy Productions and DigiBC.  The producers are joined by a national industry committee of developers and leaders of the Canadian digital entertainment industry.

Formerly "G4TechTV" G4 is a digital television station in Canada that connects young adults to the latest in entertainment, gaming, pop culture and technology. It's the ultimate destination for animated and live action comedy series as well as access to behind-the-scenes previews and reviews of leading edge events and trends. Owned by Rogers Broadcasting Limited, a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company, G4 is available by subscription on digital cable and satellite. For more information about G4 visit www.G4TV.ca

Event information, award categories, adjudication details, and online nominations are available at www.canadianvideogameawards.com .

-30-

 For more information:

Victor Lucas

Electric Playground

(604) 512-9115

victor@elecplay.com

Greg Spievak

Reboot Communications

(250) 388-6060

spievak@rebootconference.com