Level Up: Vancouver, British Columbia Pavilion returns to Top Games Conference in 2019
The Vancouver Economic Commission is pleased to present the nine studios comprising the 2019 delegation to PG Connects London. This marks the first Level Up: Vancouver, British Columbia delegation to London since signing an MOU at TIFF with Film London, the city’s creative agency, to explore business development opportunities as digital sister cities.
“In addition to being home to one of the globe’s top digital entertainment clusters, Vancouver is a hub for emerging technologies. Platform development and content creation are inextricably linked. We are the world’s top city for VFX and Animation, and the second fastest-growing global VR/AR centre,” says Nancy Basi, Executive Director of the Media & Entertainment Centre at the Vancouver Economic Commission. “As always, PG Connects is a foray for market intelligence, networking and lead generation opportunities. We look forward to leveraging and deepening our close business ties with London and the U.K. by continuing to build on our history at PG Connects London.”
2019 marks the 4th year of the Level Up: Vancouver, British Columbia Pavilion at PG Connects London. Since VEC first began leveraging the business and lead generation opportunities at PG Connects, it has evolved into one of Europe’s top games development markets, expanding into other platforms and emerging technology sectors as VR/AR/MR, blockchain and PC games.
“Creative BC is excited to be collaborating with the Vancouver Economic Commission and the Province of B.C. in support of our creators at PG Connects,” says Robert Wong, Vice-President of Creative BC. “The knowledge and connections gained at international markets is invaluable and in turn, we’re tremendously proud to showcase B.C.’s thriving interactive gaming cluster to the world.”
Furthermore, representatives of Metro Vancouver’s games sector have been joined by an increasing number of delegates from the rest of B.C. This year, nearly a third of participating studios are from outside the Metro Vancouver region, and delegates of PG Connects London will also attend its adjoining conferences: Blockchain Gamer Connects and PC Connects.
“B.C.’s reputation in the digital entertainment sector is second-to-none and PG Connects provides a global platform for digital media companies to do business in the UK and Europe,” says Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology. “Many thanks to Creative BC, the Vancouver Economic Commission and our ministry’s trade and investment representatives in the UK and Europe for bringing together a strong contingent of B.C. digital media studios. This creates a cohesive and compelling B.C. brand, which will help support new business opportunities abroad and good jobs at home.”
PG Connects London 2019 Vancouver, British Columbia Delegation
East Side Games | 
Vancouver | eastsidegames.com
Founded in 2011, East Side Games (ESG) is a proudly independent and profitable game studio that is focused on making the best narrative idle games in the business, and creating the technology for developers to tell amazing stories.
In 2017, ESG launched Trailer Park Boys: Greasy Money (TPB). TPB was a top 100 game in over 100 countries with great player reviews and excellent fan engagement. Look out for the launch of It’s Always Sunny: The Gang Goes Mobile, launching soon!
ESG recently made the Deloitte Technology Top 500 for the fastest growing startups in North America, and the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in Canada. East Side Games strongly believes in community-driven design, making games built for fans by fans, and having the best culture around. Our games and our team have the same goal; to be inclusive and for everyone.
Greenstone Initiatives | Vancouver | gsii.ca
Based in Vancouver B.C., Greenstone Initiatives was founded in 2016 by James Hursthouse, an experienced interactive technology and content entrepreneur. Greenstone works with a small number of companies and organizations across the creative technology sector, as well as developing initiatives of its own. Recent successes include the rapid growth of Cooper’s New Reality Garage, a Mobile AR Game Studio, and its acquisition by Portland’s Truly Social Games.
Between 2010 and 2016, James was co-founder and CEO at Roadhouse Interactive, a Vancouver-based mobile games studio that grew to 180 people at its peak, and worked on projects with Games Workshop, Red Bull, 20th Century Fox, and Iron Maiden. James has an extensive, global network of contacts throughout online game development, publishing, entertainment and tech.
Until February 2018, James also served as the Executive Director at DigiBC – The Interactive & Digital Media Industry Association of BC, where he spearheaded a number of programs for the benefit of the creative technology industry in British Columbia.
A UK national, James spent 15 years in Japan prior to moving to Canada and is fluent in Japanese.
KANO Apps | Victoria | kanoapps.com
Bootstrapped in 2008, Kano has been a profitable and growing indie gaming studio for nearly a decade. With smash hits like Free Rider HD (#1 free app in Aus/NZ!) and Mob Wars LCN (top 100 grossing app on Facebook), we connect people through play and build established gaming communities with millions of players worldwide. We put players first and make games that last.
Koolhaus Games Inc. | Victoria | koolhaushames.com
Koolhaus is the longest established mobile game developer in Vancouver, Canada. Since 2005 Koolhaus has developed 5 number 1 charted releases (USA iTunes Store), 8 top 10’s and 19 successive releases with 8/10+ critical reviews. Seeking strategic publishing partners for our original F2P multiplayer mobile game called OOMF! Next (casualized midcore shooter/racer) to be soft launched in Q2 of 2019. We are not seeking funding. Also interested in work for hire projects where Koolhaus can make a difference. With over 60 released titles, Koolhaus has developed everything from kids games to mid core on mobile, PC, Mac and most game consoles.
LDRLY Games | Nanaimo | ldrlygames.io
LDRLY Games is the world’s leading publisher of cannabis games. The cannabis industry is exploding and LDRLY is a major player in the global movement. Our games have over 20 million downloads and have had 3.5 billion sessions. Located in Nanaimo BC on beautiful Vancouver Island where our staff have access to affordable housing and limitless outdoor activities. This year LDRLY games will be focusing on our new games Bud Farm 420 and Bud Farm Idle. As a publisher we are always looking for the next great cannabis game.
Ludare Games | Vancouver | ludare.com
Ludare is a premium publisher of top-tier mobile entertainment content that actively seeks to partner with genre-leading development studios and globally recognizable intellectual property. We uniquely leverage technology to elevate game experiences and the processes around running and scaling mobile games.
Session Games | Vancouver | sessiongames.com
Session produces action-sports games for mobile and Nintendo Switch.
Session Games is a production company specializing in creating, delivering, and operating original games. Our Vancouver-based team is uniquely experienced, driven by our passion for quality games. Session is growing a portfolio of profitable titles; for ourselves, and our selected partners.
Currently, Session is doing live development and operations on several high-performing games the team built for Red Bull Media House. These titles, including Red Bull Air Race 2, a top-10 grossing racing game in over twenty five countries, and Bike Unchained have generated over 20 million downloads, 4+ ratings, and been prominently featured on both Apple and Google app stores at launch and subsequent major updates.
Session Digital’s management team has extensive experience in sports marketing, sponsorship and advertising. We offer customized interactive brand experiences, commercial placements, data analytics & sponsorship evaluations.
Smoking Gun Interactive | Vancouver | smokingguninc.com
Smoking Gun Interactive is an independent game development studio located in Vancouver BC. A game studio lead by industry veterans delivering high quality titles with some of the biggest brands and IP for Mobile, PC and Console
With a highly engaged series of companies from all over British Columbia making several newsworthy announcements, including the launch of a Vancouver-based $10 million fund, the Pocket Gamer Connects London 2018 (PG Connects) conference saw Vancouver and B.C. make its biggest splash yet!
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