Joystiq

Report: Silicon Knights closes office, unloads assets

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:30:00 EST

Something shady is going on in the province of Ontario with Silicon Knights and the full story is still shaking out. Yesterday it was reported that Precursor Games, which is working on the curiously funded Shadow of the Eternals - a "spiritual successor" to Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - bought and implemented Silicon Knights' assets into their new project.

Polygon also reported late yesterday that Silicon Knights' offices are now empty (stopping just short of closing), and that despite there being "no connection to Silicon Knights" according to Precursor Games' CEO Paul Caporicci, former SK head Dennis Dyack confirmed that he had left SK and was now chief creative officer at Precursor. Polygon has way, way more on this.

Silicon Knights lost a multi-million, multi-year lawsuit against Epic Games last year and there's still questions about the money the company may or may not have gotten from the Ontario government. More on this is sure to be revealed in its time.

Report: Silicon Knights closes office, unloads assets originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 May 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silicon Knights: we never received any of Canada's money

David Hinkle — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST

Last year, Silicon Knights was awarded a grant by the Canadian government, in part to self-publish games, and to hire 80 employees. But it turns out the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade never handed over the funds -- a promised sum of $3 million Canadian.

"There hasn't been any funding. There were announcements and no money received," Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack told GI.biz. "That's one of the strangest things. So, at one point, there was a loan that we got. That's it." Dyack said he's following up on the money, but to no avail so far.

It could be an alarming issue for Silicon Knights, considering the state of affairs at the Ontario-based studio. Late last year the developer had to let 45 go, and it remains embroiled in a long-running legal dispute with Epic over the use of Unreal Engine 3 during the development of Too Human.

Silicon Knights: we never received any of Canada's money originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silicon Knights receives Canadian gov. grant to hire 80, self-publish

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:15:00 EST

The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade announced yesterday that it gave Too Human and Eternal Darkness developer Silicon Knights "support" that will help the company become a "self-sustainable, self-publishing" company. According to the St. Catharine Standard, the developer received nearly $3 million in provincial funding. The money is also intended to create 80 new jobs and protect 97 existing positions.

"This will enhance our competitive edge within the highly-competitive video game market ... and allow us to enter lucrative global markets," Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack said in a statement. Dyack had hinted toward Silicon Knight's self-publishing future in an interview with Joystiq in May.

The latest batch of cash will be added to the $4 million the company received from the government last year. Silicon Knights is currently working on X-Men Destiny.

Silicon Knights receives Canadian gov. grant to hire 80, self-publish originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canadian firm proposes class action against Sony to the tune of $1B in damages

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:25:00 EST

A proposed class action lawsuit filed in Ontario, Canada against Sony over the PlayStation Network breach is shooting for the jackpot. The suit claims damages "in excess of $1 billion" for the breach of consumer privacy, in part to cover the costs of credit monitoring and fraud insurance over two years for the estimated 1 million PSN and Qriocity users living in Canada.

Toronto law firm McPhadden Samac Tuovi has proposed the class action against Sony Japan, Sony USA, Sony Canada and other Sony "entities," and added in its press release, "While Sony has advised American users about the availability of free credit reports, it has yet to advice Canadian users about credit reports."

Filed on behalf of representative plaintiff Natasha Maksimovic, the claim alleges Sony exposed its customers to identity and financial theft, in addition to "fear, anxiety (and) emotional distress," according to The Canadian Press.

Maksimovic, 21, of Mississauga, Ont., has been described by the law firm as "an avid PlayStation user for years," who signed up for PSN and Qriocity for use on her PSP and Sony e-book. "If you can't trust a huge multinational corporation like Sony to protect your private information, who can you trust?" she asked in the firm's release. "It appears to me that Sony focuses more on protecting its games than its PlayStation users."

Sony has 20 days to file a statement of defense in Canada and additional time to do so in the US and elsewhere.

Continue reading Canadian firm proposes class action against Sony to the tune of $1B in damages

Canadian firm proposes class action against Sony to the tune of $1B in damages originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Silicon Knights gets $4 million from Canadian government

David Hinkle — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:30:00 EST

Silicon Knights has been shoving the beggar's cup in the face of the Canadian government for some time now and The Welland Tribune reports that a grant has been approved. This means Silicon Knights has been awarded $4 million (pretty big cup, eh?), which it will use to recruit 65 new workers for the Ontario-based studio to help create its next game -- the rumored Siren in the Maelstrom.

President Denis Dyack is obviously stoked about the influx of cash, but offered little on the studio's next game. "We can only say it's a next generation title and a high production value game," he offered. "That's all we can say." Hey, that's all well and good, but we don't want to hear jack about a siren and some maelstrom or whatever. Give us an Eternal Darkness sequel, please. Please?

[Via GI.biz]

Silicon Knights gets $4 million from Canadian government originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dyack dismayed by layoffs, anticipates growth in Ontario

Xav de Matos — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Following yet another report of company restructuring resulting in job losses, outspoken industry veteran Denis Dyack called industry-wide layoffs within the last year and a half "staggering." However, the Silicon Knights boss does see a brighter future for development over the next five years, at least in the Canadian province of Ontario.

"Before, Ontario was a little isolated, there wasn't a lot of videogame companies here. But that's going to change. With all the positive steps that the government's done," Dyack told GamesIndustry.biz. Dyack's hopeful outlook for Ontario comes, in part, from Ubisoft's July announcement to open a new studio in Toronto -- a move Ubisoft hopes will bring 800 new jobs to the region over the next decade.

According to Dyack, new business in Ontario means the province will be able to combat recruiters who remove developer and designer graduates from the area. "It's really depressing going to [University of] Waterloo to recruit and we see that Microsoft was there before us and took all the best people. The tax payer paid for that education," he lamented. With development expanding in Ontario, Silicon Knights can finally start combing schools for talent to help produce the (Sweet Lord, make it happen) sequel to Eternal Darkness.

Dyack dismayed by layoffs, anticipates growth in Ontario originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Talent, not just tax breaks, drawing devs to Canada

Justin McElroy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Tax breaks are a great way to get developers interested in Canada, according to minister of economic development and trade for Ontario Sandra Pupatello, but they may not be the best way to keep them there. Pupatello worries that while trying to entice devs, competing provinces could drive tax breaks to an untenable position. She says that nuturing a talent pool should be the bigger focus, an approach that has worked in Ontario.

"We knew that Ubisoft establishing a significant footprint in Ontario would in itself would help tell the story of what's available," Pupatello told Develop. "Why would Ubisoft come unless they knew that they were going to get absolutely the best talent?"

Uh, free health care and the staggering availability of Tim Hortons?

Talent, not just tax breaks, drawing devs to Canada originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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