Sure, Edmonton might be in the frozen north, but that also means it's one of the best places in the world to make and play video games. What else will we do when temperatures drop below freezing? In spite of all odds, AAA studios like BioWare, Improbable, and Beamdog have emerged, while esports champions such as Shiphtur, TheOddOne, and Jatt (Team Liquid's head coach) have formerly called the festival city home. What makes Edmonton so awesome? If you are curious, come join some friendly Canadians to discover new games, hang out with some incredible game creators, play games of all kinds, and compete in esports tournaments! Edmonton Direct is a free, online experience that showcases games culture and game development in Edmonton. We hope to see you there!

What is Edmonton Direct?

Edmonton Direct is a video and an event. The video highlights games and games culture made in Edmonton, while the event brings industry speakers, diverse panels and esports competitors together to show off Edmontonian talent. The Edmonton Direct video premiered on May 5, 2021, but the event is being held on May 15 and 16 on twitch.tv/esportsalberta.

What can I expect if I attend Edmonton Direct?

Edmonton Direct is a little bit GDC, a little bit PAX...with a teensy sprinkling of E3, and all with a local flavour. Here's what you can expect:

Esports Tournaments

Over twenty esports tournaments with over $10K CAD worth of prizes (some limited to Canada only), including Mass Effect: Legendary game keys, smartphones, BioWare swag, Seagate harddrives, and more! Check out smash.gg/edmontondirect for more tournament details!

Panels & Speakers

Interested in hearing from Edmonton's incredible game dev and esports talent? Check out:

Micro-Talk: The Making of Curved Space with Andrew Czarnietzki and Jen LaFace of Only by Midnight
Keynote with Trent Oster of Beamdog
Panel: Edmonton Public School Board & Esports
Micro-Talk: The Making of Mad Devils with Kyle Kulyk of Itzy Interactive
Panel: The Wonderful World of Indie Devs (with Fernando Melo of DoubleBlit, Jeff Cho of Caldera Interactive, Jace Boechler of Schadenfreude, and Ryan Bromsgrove of Polar Tabby Interactive)
Panel: The Alberta Advantage with Esports with the Alberta Esports Association
The University of Alberta's Certificate in Computer Game Development Awards (including the CMPUT 250 Awards)
Panel: The Importance of Health and Wellness
Keynote with Mark Darrah, former Executive Producer of the Dragon Age franchise
Panel: The Next Step Into Games: Post-Secondary (with the University of Alberta, NAIT, NorQuest College, Lethbridge College, and Mount Royal University)
Panel: Working in AAA in Edmonton with David Holmes (Improbable), Tina Seal (Improbable), Sheryl Chee (BioWare), and Kat Barkwell (BioWare)
Panel: Gamers Giving Back to Charity (with Gamers for Groceries, YEGExtraLife, and MakeAWishCA)
Panel: Celebrating Mass Effect: The Beloved Sci-Fi Trilogy (with Crystal McCord, Producer at BioWare, Kevin Meek, Environment and Character Director at BioWare, and Melanie Faulknor, Lead Producer at BioWare).
And more!

For comprehensive information about the panels, check out the Guide Book online.

Shacker, Rice-Rocketeer, is one of the organizers for this event! If you want to know more, hit him up!