Good Game Edmonton

Console Ports, Community, and Catching Flights (feat. Jen Laface)

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 [https://goodgameyeg.ca].

French Bread Gaming's Fight for Edmonton Esports (ft. Ethan Horkulak)

Ethan Horkulak, co-founder of French Bread Gaming [https://frenchbreadgaming.com/], 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.

Star Wars, AI Reality Checks, Talent Training & Indie Wins (ft. CGDA, NAIT, Lucid Rain Studios & Digital Alberta)

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 [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3877790/Hunters_Moon_A_Sovereign_Syndicate_Adventure/] * INFERIUS by Lucid Rain Studios → Wishlist on Steam [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2470790/INFERIUS/] Connect With Us: * goodgameyeg.ca [goodgameyeg.ca] * digitalalberta.com [digitalalberta.com] * calgary.games [calgary.games]

From Juilliard to Games: Finding the Soul in Narrative Design (feat. Leif Oleson-Cormack)

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/ [http://www.thelowroad.com/] * store.steampowered.com/app/2020030/Tails_Noir_Preludes/ [https://store.steampowered.com/app/2020030/Tails_Noir_Preludes/]  * leifoc.com/ [https://leifoc.com/] * edmontonarts.ca/event/leif-oleson-cormack-alone-ranger-live-album-taping [https://www.edmontonarts.ca/event/leif-oleson-cormack-alone-ranger-live-album-taping] * instagram.com/leifoc/ [https://www.instagram.com/leifoc/] * store.steampowered.com/app/3001200/Tails_Noir_Rebel_Rush [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3001200/Tails_Noir_Rebel_Rush/]

Shipping, Scaling, and Industry Shakes (ft. VR Cave, Snowed In Studios & Digital Alberta)

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. ⁠ [https://goodgameyeg.ca/]Important Links: * digitalalberta.com [http://digitalalberta.com] * snowedin.ca [https://snowedin.ca/] * vrcave.io [http://vrcave.io]  * basementbunkerlabs.com [https://basementbunkerlabs.com] * interactiveartsalberta.org [https://www.interactiveartsalberta.org]   * itch.io/jam/alberta-game-jam-2025 [http://itch.io/jam/alberta-game-jam-2025]  * babyghosts.fund/peer-accelerator [https://babyghosts.fund/peer-accelerator]  * lucidrainestudios.com [http://lucidrainestudios.com] * gameinvestwest.ca [http://gameinvestwest.ca]  * norquest.ca/esports [http://norquest.ca/esports]  * asel.gg [http://asel.gg]  * edmontonscreen.com [http://edmontonscreen.com]  More of the show: goodgameyeg.ca⁠ [https://goodgameyeg.ca/]