2017 Ubisoft Game Lab Competition

On Thursday, April 6th, the 2017 edition of the Game Lab Competition came to a glamorous end at the Rialto Theatre last night, wrapping up 10 intensive weeks of exciting twists and turns.

Just two weeks ago, the 19 teams that took part in the competition were presenting their prototypes to the jury presided by Marc-André Saulnier, getting together once more last night to see their work celebrated by an thrilled audience.

The prototypes, designed following the ‘Playing With Time’ theme, once again this year redefined the known limits of imagination and it’s ultimately Zorya, presented by Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD), that won best prototype. Zorya’s team did not limit itself to just that honor however and went on to win best creativity and theme integration AND the audience award, for a total of $10,000 in scholarship money.

Members of the jury, from left to right: David Barrette-Wardana (Associate Artiste Director, Animation), David Harvey (Associate Director, Level Design), Damien Kieken, (Game Director), Marc-André Saulnier (President of the Jury and Team Lead, Software), Nancy Paulin (Team Lead, Graphic), Sarah Maud Gosselin (Gameplay Programmer) et David Therriault (Team Lead, Software)

THE WINNERS

Best prototype – $8,000
Zorya – Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD)
Mentors: Romain Petitmangin and Benoît Laporte

Best game design – $2,000
Time Machine Idiots – Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in collaboration with l’École de technologie supérieure, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, Université McGill and UQAT Montréal
Mentors: Kevin Guillemette and Sylvain Marleau

Best art direction and production – $2,000
Record – Université de Montréal in collaboration with l’École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD) and l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Mentors: Alexis Jolis-Desautels and Frédéric St-Onge

Best technical challenge and innovation – $2,000
Unchained – École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD) in collaboration with l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Mentors: Haig James Toutikian and Charles Lefebvre

Best Quality of the « 3C » (camera, characters, controls) – $2,000
Hiatus – Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with UQAT Montréal
Mentors: Pascal Bélanger and Étienne Beauchemin-Pépin

Best user experience – $2,000
Otenaw – l’École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD) in collaboration with Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Mentors: François Messier and Agathe Ottavi

Best creativity and theme integration – $2,000
Zorya – Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD)
Mentors: Romain Petitmangin and Benoît Laporte

Jury’s Special Award – $2,000
Ambulance Express – Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Mentors: Thierry Lauret and Éric Martel

Audience Award
Zorya – Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with École des arts numériques, de l’animation et du design (NAD)
Mentors: Romain Petitmangin and Benoît Laporte

L’équipe de l’UQAC, chapeautée par Thierry Lauret et Éric Martel d’Ubisoft Québec

The Competition was composed of 149 university students this year, supported by a team of 38 mentors from both the Montreal and Quebec studios. $22,000 in scholarship money were awarded, not to mention the minimum of 10 internships and jobs offered to the students that stood out during the production of their prototype. To this day, this minimum has been consistantly exceeded and 14 students have already been hired within the Competition’s participants.

We are happy to welcome them to the great Ubisoft family!