Canadian college and university students to create a mobile game over the weekend of September 28th and compete for a chance to win fame and a $25,000 grand prize 

Toronto, Ontario – September 11, 2012 – Mobile game developer XMG Studio Inc., The Electric Playground, and The Globe and Mail have teamed up to challenge all Canadian students to compete in the largest ‘hackathon’ in Canadian developer history: A race against the clock to create the next hit mobile game in under 48 hours. Over the weekend of September 28th students will gather at more than 40 participating university and college ‘HUBS’ across Canada. The teams will work around the clock and compete for a $25,000 first place prize, $5,000 second place prize, as well as 10 category winners who will receive a special edition Xbox Halo 4 Edition, generously provided by Microsoft.

“Video games have not only captured the popular imagination, they are true works of innovation and I am proud to say Canada is a world leader in this booming industry,“ says Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, and a member of this year’s GCA judging panel. “Canada is the third largest producer of video games in the world — trailing only the United States and Japan — and houses some of the world’s greatest studios and many of its most promising startups. This is something we should celebrate and I look forward to being dazzled by what enterprising Canadian students can create as part of the Great Canadian Appathon3.”

Like the Great Canadian Appathon2 – the largest ‘hackathon’ in Canada to date – GCA3 guarantees its participants 48 hours of intense fun, the opportunity to learn all kinds of new code, and a chance to build a mobile game on their mobile operating system of choice. XMG will be sending its talented designers and developers to selected University ‘HUBS’ to motivate and mentor the teams. All others can rely on a 48-­-hour support line for questions and advice on how to work with the latest interfaces.

"We expect nothing less than the students to emerge from GCA3 with learning more about commercial software development than any other experience in their student careers," says Bill Marshall, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Toronto International Film Festival, and a member of the GCA judging panel. "In my years of experience making movies, guiding the evolution of TiFF, and as an executive in the games industry there is one thing I can say with strong certainty -­- don't underestimate the power of creativity. I challenge all student participants of the GCA3 to deliver the coding performance of their young lives."

The GCA will start at 5:00 p.m. (local time) on September 28th, 2012 and continue for 48 hours, ending at 5:00 p.m. on September 30th, 2012. Following the event, the winning games will be evaluated on criteria such as the degree of innovation, the fun and entertainment factor, the level of art and design polish as well as stability. The three finalists, will be honoured on November 8th 2012 in Toronto at the “Grand Finale” event, sponsored by KPMG, and will compete live in front of a panel of judges for the grand prize of $25,000. “

We bring the guidance of the leading mobile games studio in Canada, the game-­-changing prize money and the talented judges to the table,” says Ray Sharma, Founder and President of XMG Studio Inc. “Add some wicked student smarts, sprinkle it with sleep-­- deprived craziness and you’ve got the basic recipe for an addictive mobile game. At XMG we know very well the explosive potential of ‘hackathons’. Cows vs. Aliens, built in 24 hours at an internal ‘hackathon’, has been downloaded over a million times in Android, over a million times in iOS, and won no less than the Most Innovative Android Game of the Year for 2011. We can say with strong conviction that ‘hackathons’ can results in impressive results. And simplicity is beautiful; one polished hook and 48 hours to code and create is all it takes to succeed.”

More information about the event including supported platforms, team registrations, rules and regulations, campuses already signed-­-on or information on how to get your campus involved, please visit www.greatcanadianappathon.com.

About XMG Studio Inc.: XMG Studio Inc. is an award-­-winning developer and publisher of mobile games. Founded in late 2009, XMG has developed a track record for innovation excellence in mobile gaming including the release of critically acclaimed games downloadable on your iOS, Android, and Windows Phone device. Based in Toronto, XMG is one of the largest indie mobile game studios in Canada. Named as one of the top global mobile games developers to watch by popular media, XMG is focused on providing creative expression through gameplay for all fans of fun. About The Globe and Mail: The Globe and Mail, through its newspaper, magazine, online and mobile platforms, is Canada’s foremost news media company. Each day, The Globe leads the national discussion by engaging Canadians in its award-­-winning coverage and analysis of news, politics, business and lifestyle. The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper, founded in 1844, Report on Business, Canada’s most influential business magazine, and globeandmail.com, the newspaper’s online and mobile media hub, reach a combined 5.7 million readers every week. In addition to being Canada’s most award-­-winning newspaper for journalism excellence, The Globe has received global recognition for breakthroughs in design and new media, including the Society for News Design’s prizes for World’s Best Designed Website and Best Complete Newspaper Redesign in 2011, the 2011 Digi Award for Best in Digital Publishing, as well as the Emmy Award in 2009 and 2010 in the New Approaches to News and Documentary category. The Globe and Mail is 85% owned by Woodbridge, the investment arm of the Thomson family, and Bell Canada (15%).

About The Electric Playground: Electric Playground is North America’s only daily videogame and entertainment series on television and the web. Since 1995, EP has been covering videogames on location from around the world featuring developer and behind-­-the-­-scenes interviews. In addition to videogames, EP features regular reports on industry news and technology, movies and television, and comic books and collectibles. EP is your daily source for videogames, entertainment, and technology.