On Wednesday, September 10, Microsoft Canada hosted the annual X14 Media Showcase, bringing fans and media together to witness the fall collection of Xbox One games. When I was directed to enter the showcase through a questionable, dark alleyway, I started to have doubts about attending the event. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior. Rows upon rows of tiny lights lined the ceiling, creating a club-like ambience. Xbox One consoles and enormous flat screen TVs filled the room like computers in a computer lab. Between gamers testing out the latest games, reporters conducting interviews, and people socializing by a bar, the event exceeded my expectations.
Games
Xbox hosts this annual event as a means of giving reporters and Xbox fans a glimpse into the latest console games from Microsoft. Released in November 2013, the Xbox One is described as Microsoft’s all-in-one multimedia console. Games on display included Sunset Overdrive, Halo-MCC, and others. The games were all available for playing and they were the focal point of the event.
Jeff Rivait, the senior category and product marketing manager at Microsoft Canada, said of the showcase, “It is an opportunity where we bring all the latest and greatest upcoming Xbox games, so that all the Canadian media and also some select Xbox fans can get their hands on them before the holiday [season].”
Developed by Insomniac Games, Sunset Overdrive is an upcoming open world video game focusing on combat in a dystopian world. The game is expected to be released in fall 2014.
“The first thing people see are ultimately graphics. [In] something like Sunset Overdrive, you [see] massive, vibrant open worlds; really cool gameplay; [and] seamless transitions, that [are] really unlocked by the power of the Xbox One,” said Rivait.
Letting fans and gamers get a preview creates an opportunity for them to provide feedback about the quality of the products and the new features they would like to see added.
There were also games that took advantage of the Xbox’s motion sensor, the Kinect, such as Dance Central Spotlight and Shape Up, which grabbed the attention of many.
Student Opportunities
When asked about opportunities in the video game industry, Rivait noted, “Canada is now the third-largest nation for game developments.”
“We [are] a 100 per cent sales and marketing; we do hire two interns every year to work on Xbox and to work on great events such as this and some of our promotional launch plans for our upcoming games at the end of the year. I’d say there is a lot of opportunity; it just continues to grow and develop,” said Rivait.
Microsoft employees stressed that the opportunities were not “revolving doors.” The company values the students they bring in and encourages growth and development within the company however, many of the Canadian job placements are in marketing or sales. Since Microsoft Canada Inc. is a subsidiary, they don’t deal with video game development, which mostly happens in Redmond, Washington.
Other employees mentioned that there are third party developers in Vancouver and Toronto where students could get involved, though not directly with Microsoft Canada. Such companies include Ubisoft, EA, and Black Tusk Studios, among other independent developers.
