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EVENT REPORTPIXEL CHALLENGE 2016April 7-9, 2016 at Terminal, Port of Québec

$70 000 in prizes The best digital creation competition in Canada!

70% rise in participation

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Judges, partners and winners of CATAPULTE (from left to right): Louis Leclerc, PIXEL Québec – Carl Viel, Québec International – Anne Gibeault, Epsilon Games – Nicolas Rioux, Ubisoft Québec – David Dion-Paquet, Benoit Archer and Mathieu Robillard, Bishop Games – Johanne Berthelot, Desjardins – Mathieu Tremblay, Cortex – Edgard De Smet, Larian Québec – Dali Berthiaume, Ex Machina – Mariona Ferrer, Québec International and Isabelle Genest, LE CAMP

Judges of the Pixel Challenge (from left to right). Upper row: Mathieu Campagna, CNDF – Simon Lacroix, SilverJack Studio – François Taddei, Beenox – Mario Almaguer, Beenox – Simon Gagnon, Frima – Dave Mianowski, Microsoft – Aymeric Lesné, 3 Hit Combo – Claude Bordeleau, Volta – Louis Leclerc, PIXEL Québec. Bottom row: Michel Labrecque, Peak Média – Anne-Andrée Boisvert, Ubisoft – Samuel-Alexandre Bourret, Sarbakan – Nicolas Lacroix, FM93 – Patrick Beaulieu, Squeeze Studio Animation and Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier, Toon Boom

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CATAPULTE – A HUGE ADDITION!

As the video game industry has matured and accessible marketing platforms have emerged, the number of indie development studios in the Greater Québec City region has exploded in recent years. These firms often come up with innovative projects but don’t have the means to carry them out.

The Catapulte program was founded to support these young independent studios in creating and marketing their product by giving them an opportunity to win $50,000, mentorship from their elders in the industry and free office space for a year at the CAMP.

Catapulte was created in 2014, by the niche of excellence for the Digital Arts and Interactive Entertainment and Québec International. PIXEL Québec agreed to organize this second edition of Catapulte and we are proud to say that the number of entrants doubled in 2016. The five teams of finalists presented their projects before a packed room on Thursday, April 7, before the theme was announced and the Pixel Challenge began!

THE PIXEL CHALLENGE – BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!

Louis Leclerc and his team wanted to make everyone happy. Impossible? Probably, but that

didn’t mean they couldn’t try. With a 70% increase in participation, you could say that they’re

on the right track! The Pixel Challenge is an increasingly essential stop for participants

and partners alike. With a presenter partner as prestigious as Ubisoft, in cooperation

with Desjardins Caisse de Québec, how could you not want to go big or go home?

Again this year, Pixel Challenge took place during Digital Week in Québec City. In union

there is strength, so PIXEL Québec and Québec Numérique collaborated to make the

Port of Québec Terminal a major gathering place from April 6 to 9. A whole series of events

filled and enlivened the space, which overlooks the river, including the Pixel Challenge,

Catapulte, Pixel Média, Web à Québec (WAQ), Warp Zone and Digital Opportunities.

Louis Leclerc, Executive Director, being interviewed by a journalist of the daily newspaper Le Soleil.

Jean-Simon Otis, Jade Bélanger and David Paré from Chainsawesome Games, winners of the first edition in 2014, attending the finale of Catapulte 2016.

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THE WINNING TEAM IS:

The winning team and the judges: Anne Gibeault, Epsilon Games – Nicolas Rioux, Ubisoft Québec – David Dion-Paquet, Benoit Archer and Mathieu Robillard, Bishop Games – Johanne Berthelot, Desjardins – Mathieu Tremblay, Cortex – Edgard De Smet, Larian Québec

The winners were the team from Bishop Studio with their game Light Fall. Interestingly, the three members of the team, Benoît Archer, David Dion-Paquet and Mathieu Robillard, were also signed up for the Pixel Challenge in the professional video game category, and they were wearing huge grins when they dove into the new challenge right after the obligatory photos, of course.

CATAPULTE – THE FINALISTSFive finalists were chosen from the 16 submissions by a selection committee composed of Valérie Hénaire from Frima, Maxime Carrier from Beenox and Samuel-Alexandre Bourret from Sarbakan.

At the cocktail hour on April 7, before the launch of the Pixel Challenge, the five teams of finalists presented their game and their marketing plan before a full house and four very demanding judges: Nicolas Rioux from Ubisoft, Mathieu Tremblay from Cortex, Anne Gibeault from Epsilon Games and Edgard De Smet from Larian Québec.

PRESENTED BY

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François Taddei, Beenox, MC of the Award ceremony

PIXEL CHALLENGE – SHOCKWAVE

A few minutes after the winners of Catapulte were announced, the 48-hour Pixel Challenge

was launched. Challenge participants had to create a video game, a animated micro-short

or a sound design on the theme “Shockwave”, which was revealed by Nicolas Rioux,

general manager of Ubisoft Québec. Participants could win prizes ranging from $500

to $5,000, as well as become better known in the industry. Here are the winners in each

category, who shared a total of $18,500.

Louis Leclerc during the Award ceremony

WEB REPORT

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PRIZES

COMPETITION CASH PRIZE SPONSERED BY JUDGES

INDIE VIDEO GAME

$50 000

Nicolas Rioux, Ubisoft Québec Anne Gibeault, Epsilon Games Mathieu Tremblay, Cortex Edgard De Smet, Larian Québec

VIDEO GAME

Video game PRO category $5 000

Aymeric Lesné, 3 Hit Combo Nicolas Lacroix, FM93 Dave Mianowski, Microsoft

Video game Student catetogy $2 500

Mario Almaguer, Beenox Samuel-Alexandre Bourret, Sarbakan Andrée-Anne Boisvert, Ubisoft Simon Gagnon, Frima

ANIMATION TOON BOOM

Animation short film Toon Boom grand prize $5 000

Marc-André Bouvier, Toon Boom Patrick Beaulieu, Squeeze Studio Animation Claude Bordeleau, Volta

Animation short film Volta prize $2 500

SOUND DESIGN PEAK MEDIA

Sound design of a video game $1 250 Michel Labrecque, Peak Média Simon Lacroix, SilverJack Mathieu Campagna, CNDFSound design of an animation

short film $1 250Sound design SilverJack prize $500

CHALLENGE CDRIN

Challenge CDRIN $500 cash draw

PIXEL CHALLENGE 2016

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CHALLENGE CDRIN – $500

Les gosses de licornes toxiques: Louis Bernard, Jean Boheme, Guillaume Vincent, Yannick Jouneau and Mickael Vermosen

SOUND DESIGN OF A VIDEO GAME - PEAK MEDIA PRIZE - $1 250

Simon Chartier

SOUND DESIGN OF AN ANIMATION SHORT FILM - PEAK MEDIA PRIZE - $1 250

Louis-Étienne Payer

SOUND DESIGN - SILVERJACK PRIZE - $500$

Jean-François Racine was so productive that he worked with several animation and video game teams, including TurboPusso, Les Licornes farouches and Les Bruins de Québec!

VIDEO GAME PRO CATEGORY - DESJARDINS, CAISSE DE QUÉBEC, GRAND PRIZE - $5 000

Super Sarbakan Bros: Étienne Bédard and Richard Villeneuve

VIDEO GAME STUDENT CATEGORY - UBISOFT PRIZE - $2 500

Winning team of this category for the second consecutive year: French Frogs: Dominic Brodeur-Gendron, Tristan Charron, Samuel Charron, Gabriel Jacques and Guillaume Raymond

ANIMATION SHORT FILM - TOON BOOM GRAND PRIZE - $5 000

Pixel’n Chill: Patrick Blanchette, Xavier Couet, Mathieu Greco, Joany Lemelin-Boucher and Étienne Mailhot-Bruneau

ANIMATION SHORT FILM - VOLTA PRIZE - $2 500

TurboPusso: Lou Dumont, Frédéric Godbout and Grégorie Vincent

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PHOTO BOOTHParticipants, judges and partners had a great time posing at Photobox Studio‘s photo booth.

MOTION CAPTURE STUDIOFor the second year in a row, CDRIN set up its motion capture studio at the Terminal for the Pixel Challenge so that Challenge competitors could add “mocap” to their video game or animated micro-short and thus become eligible for a draw for $500.

LOUNGE What better than a massage to cure creative block? Thanks to Beenox, participants were able to get healing, and much-appreciated, chair massages. Thanks, Beenox!

The four judges in the student video game category, Anne-Andrée Boisvert from Ubisoft, Samuel-Alexandre Bourret from Sarbakan, Mario Almaguer from Beenox and Simon Gagnon from Frima, photographed while posing at the photo booth and the result.

The three judges in the animated micro-short competition, Marc-André Bouvier-Pelletier from Toon Boom, Patrick Beaulieu from Squeeze and Claude Bordeleau from Volta, having their own moment of madness at the photo booth.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Mariona Ferrer, Québec International, Valérie Hénaire, Frima, Dali Berthiaume, Ex Machina and Johanne Berthelot, Desjardins Caisse de Québec

PIXEL QUÉBECSOCIAL MEDIA FALLOUT

FROM FEBRUARY 15TH TO APRIL 17TH 2016

Publications

Impressions Interactions

619 241 49 345Tweets

Impressions Engagements

26 700 400

Main interests 77% tech news

Video publications

Views Completed views

10 612 3 569

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70% INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE

TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

QUÉBEC CITY

QUÉBEC PROVINCE FRANCE BELGIUM UNITED

STATES

CHALLENGE 192 122 39 15 14 2

CATAPULTE 40 32 8 0 0 0

JUDGES, GUESTS AND VIPS 22 18 2 1 0 1

MEDIA 16 5 10 1 0 0

ORGANISATION AND VOLUNTEERS 19 19 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 289 184 59 17 14 3

Québec City 65 %

Province of Québec 22 %

France 7 %

Belgium 5 %

United States 1 %

ATTENDANCE

35% attendance

from touristic

origin

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SURVEY - COMMENTS“I’m from France (where we have Game Jams fairly frequently) and right now we don’t have anything equal to the Pixel Challenge! Everything was cool – meals, lodgings, organization (and massages, something we’ve never seen in France). Keep it up now that you’re on top. And Game Jams for animation, it was the same thing, a first for us again, and putting such emphasis on sound design… Super organization this year, you can see that you’ve hit your stride. ;)

“Excellent event! My team was in the animated micro-short category and we definitely want to come back next year! We especially appreciated having access to Toon Boom licenses. We adored the experience from first to last. A huge thank you to the organizers, volunteers, partners and judges!”

“It was a fascinating experience…”

“I’ve been one of the organizers of the MTLGJ for the past two years, and I just have positive comments to make on the whole event…”

“I loved that the Pixel Challenge Facebook page was also used as a clearinghouse for information. The video about where to take a shower, etc.,was a good idea.”

“My Belgian buddies and I adored being part of this. What a marvelous adventure it was, visiting Québec City and coming to the Pixel Challenge!”

“Bravo for the event. Thanks to the organizers and volunteers. The food and drink were perfect. You spoiled us and we ate well every time. I expect nothing less next year. P…”

“It was sick! The best experience of my life. I’ll be back next year, even if there isn’t any poutine.”

“Very well organized.”

“…the macaroni and cheese served at the Pixel Challenge blew me away. When I was on the point of sinking deep into the abysses of sleep, the mac’n cheese gave me back my energy. I was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Special thanks to the organizers, to all the volunteers, to Micheline and to whoever had the idea of adding this gourmet treat to the 2016 menu. See you next year!”

“…I loved the experience (good job!) and I was delighted to take advantage of the Warp Zone after the competition. ;) Thank you very much to everyone!”

“Hello! First, this edition of the Pixel Challenge was my favorite since the move from the Bivouac Urbain to the Pixel Challenge, Thank you very much for everything. The food was especially excellent, even if every year I tell myself that we’re really spoiled with the quality of the food as compared with what we expect (and need) during the competition, I really loved all the meals, as much for the size of the portions as the quality of preparation and variety of the meals. It isn’t something that I that is essential to the competition, but I was really appreciative and I thought it was important to mention it. As for the location, I think you’ve found the ideal spot. If I compare it to previous years when I participated (Musée de la civilisation and Impérial), the layout was really optimal for the teams… A huge thank you to all the organizers and all the volunteers who pampered us throughout the competition. It looks so easy, but with 0 hours of sleep you really appreciate how nice people are, the way they smile, and their patience!!! So thank you!!!” Caroline Fournier

“…I loved the competition, I did it last year as well, and it’s always a real pleasure! Just a small point, but the speeches were really super lively. They were a major improvement over last years, where things were a bit awkward or rushed by times. François Taddei really did an awesome job! Thank you for all your organizational work, and for being so patient with registration for Conjure ;) It was my fault!” Simon

« Good job ! »

HIGH PRAISE“Once again, thanks for the invitation to Catapulte. It was a great experience. You know how to show a girl a good time in Québec City!!!” – Anne Gibeault, Epsilon Games (Catapulte judge)

Once again, congratulations on your event!” - François Taddei, Beenox (host of the Challenge award ceremony)

« Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the Pixel Challenge ! It was great ! I had soo much fun ! Now, you have a whole year to figure out how to make 2017 Challenge even more over the top than this year ! Oh, the Photo booth idea was really good. »

Jason DiCiccio (Pixel Challenge participant)

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CATAPULTE » 100% more submissions

» $50 000 in cash + free office space for a year at the CAMP + mentoring by industry professionals

PIXEL CHALLENGE » 65% more competitors than in 2015

» 193 competitors – 48 hours of challenge - $18 500 in prizes

» 23 teams in the student video game category

» 17 teams in the pro video game category

» 10 teams in the animated micro-short category

» 10 participants in sound design

» 6 teams from Europe (France and Belgium)

» 260 litres of coffee served in 48 hours!

SURVEY - RESULTS » 99% of respondents gave

Pixel Challenge an overall mark of good to excellent.

» 98% of respondents are sure or almost sure that they’ll be back next year.

» 96% of teams that were matched with a sound designer replied that they appreciated the experience and that it was an asset to their animation or video game.

» Record response rate to the survey 50%!

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GOOD FOR THE ECONOMYFOOD SERVICES

» 1,485 meals served by Équilibre Traiteur, Ashton, Subway, Croquembouche and Métro Plus Saint-Roch

» 2 cocktail parties for over 250 people served by Yuzu sushi, Mille et une Pizzas and Métro Plus Saint-Roch

» Snacks and beverages for over 200 people for three days, purchased at Métro Plus Saint-Roch

LODGING

» 25 nights at the Saint-Pierre, a signature inn

TRANSPORT

» 29 international flights

» Charter bus Montréal-Québec-Montréal provided by Excel-Tours

» Local transportation provided by Taxi Coop and Services Touristiques Feuille d’Érable

SUPPLIERS OF GOODS AND SERVICES

» Over 155 chair massages for participants by CHI Massage, sponsored by Beenox et commandités par Beenox

» 350 t-shirts purchased from Promo Dynamique and printed by Idée-Pro

» 14 banners, 135 table numbers, 400 accreditation cards, 15 giant coroplasts, 8 oversized cheques and 250 assorted documents designed by MentorMédia and printed by Copies de la Capitale

» 160 tables, 250 chairs, 6 armchairs, 2 percolators and 133 table signs, 6 free-standing curtains rented from Location Gervais

» 6 banks of pallets for the lounge rented from Relèvénement

» 35 gift baskets purchased from Compliments de Belle-Maman

» Technical hardware and installation provided by Solotech

» 8 trophies and 60 medals purchased from Sumacom

» Parking provided by Vinci Park

» Network hardware and technical support provided by S.M. Solutions Technologiques

» Sound equipment provided by La Forge

» 80 tablecloths purchased from TableclothsFactory

» Public and media relations provided by POINTCOMM

» Writing and translation services by Prose communication

» Website hosting and modifications by Cortex

THE PIXEL CHALLENGE PROVIDED WORK DIRECTLY TO THESE AND OTHER PERSONS:

» 3 filming and postproduction technicians

» 2 photographers

» 1 graphic designer

» 2 computer graphics specialists

» 1 logistics coordinator

» 2 bar employees

» 2 night supervisors

» 1 group escort

» 4 material handler

» 1 DJ-host

» 12 volunteers

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WE THANK OUR PARTNERS

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PROGRAMME

PIXEL CHALLENGE 2016 - PROGRAMME TERMINAL - 84 DALHOUSIE STREET, QUÉBEC (ROOMS 101 & 102)

THURSDAY APRIL 7TH FRIDAY APRIL 8TH SATURDAY APRIL 9TH

AM 8:00 - 9:00 Participants’ breakfast

8:00 - 9:00 Participants’ breakfast

9:00 - 12:00 Chair massages in the Beenox lounge

9:00 - 12:00 Chair massages in the Beenox lounge

NOON 12:00 Organization team’s lunch

12:00 - 13:00 Participants’ lunch

12:00 - 13:00 Participants’ lunch

PM 13:00 - 16:30 Pixel Challenge participants check-in

15:30 - 16:30 Catapulte participants check-in

13:00 - 17:00 Chair massages in the Beenox lounge

13:00 - 17:00 Chair massages in the Beenox lounge

EVEN

ING

16:30 - 19:00 CATAPULTE - the finale

17:00 - 18:00 Participants and judges’ dinner

18:00 End of Pixel Challenge

17:00 - 19:00 Sushi cocktail party

18:00 - 20:00 1st tour of the teams by the judges

18:00 - 20:00 Final tour of the teams by the judges

19:00 Cocktail party & deliberations

18:30 Pre-Challenge meeting

21:00 Award ceremony

19:00 Pixel Challenge 2016’s launch

22:00 Take down of the work stations and participants departure

NIGHT Midnight Participants’ night meal

Midnight Participants’ night meal

CREATE - CHALLENGE - WIN

Louis Leclerc is proud to have GURU, energy drinks, as one of Pixel Challenge’s partners. He really loves his GURU!

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Jessika Munger, Louis Leclerc and Micheline Beaulieu couldn’t resist the temptation to pose in front of the photo booth with the freshly unwrapped medals and trophy. You could say that they had awarded themselves the prizes for the “Off Challenge” Event Organization category.

PIXEL QUÉBEC TEAM

Louis Leclerc, managing director

Micheline Beaulieu, logistics director

François Boudreault, technical director

Jessika Munger, volunteers and logistics coordinator

Élodie Gros, bar service coordinator

Annie Frenette, guide

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Renaud Philippe

Stéphane Bourgeois

Micheline Beaulieu at the pre-Challenge information sessions. Oh yes, it looks like procedures and processes can be funny after all.

THE EXTRAORDINARY TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS FROM LAVAL UNIVERSITY AND OTHERS

Anne-Marie Ouellet

Audrey Turcotte

Baptiste Gilistro

Camille Dion

Élodie Grimard

Francis Bernier

Jonathan Sévigny

Julie Marie Dorval

Laurie Baudin

Line Vernier

Philippe Toutant

Sophie Bertrand

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PHOTO BOOTH

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PIXEL QuébecP: 418 266-0818

pixel@pixelquebec.org