{"id":7496,"date":"2025-08-28T15:38:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T19:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/?post_type=initiative&p=7496"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:16:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T14:16:49","slug":"innovation-summit","status":"publish","type":"initiative","link":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/initiative\/innovation-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Game Innovation Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":7436,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"classification":[80,81],"class_list":["post-7496","initiative","type-initiative","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","classification-events","classification-training"],"acf":{"page_rows":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text_boxes","row_title":"Video Game Innovation Summit","row_texts":[{"type":"texte","text_content":"

Quebec's video game industry is at a turning point: generative AI, fiscal pressure, global consolidation. Studios are adjusting every day, and they talk about it often, among themselves, behind the scenes, from one studio to the next. But these lessons rarely travel beyond that immediate circle. On October 1, at Espace Waverly in Montr\u00e9al, the Video Game Innovation Summit becomes, for one day, the place where studio intelligence becomes collective.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

A co-initiative of La Guilde du jeu vid\u00e9o du Qu\u00e9bec<\/strong> and the Centre de d\u00e9veloppement et de recherche en intelligence num\u00e9rique (CDRIN)<\/strong>, the Summit brings together studio professionals, researchers, and seasoned technology specialists from world-class organizations, all working toward the same goal: pooling what they're learning, in both research and production.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Practical details<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

\ud83d\udccd Espaces Waverly, Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\r\n

\ud83d\udcc5 October 1, 2026<\/p>\r\n

\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Tickets are limited!<\/strong> A reservation is required to attend the Summit, and registration is mandatory for the innovation clinic and workshops. Maximum 2 people per studio.<\/p>\r\n

\ud83d\ude80 15 people per workshop, maximum 2 workshops per person.<\/p>","text_image":null,"plateforme":"","id_youtube":"","id_vimeo":"","taille_paragraphe":"normale","text_action":{"title":"Get your tickets today!","url":"https:\/\/www.zeffy.com\/fr-CA\/ticketing\/sommet-innovation-2e-edition","target":""},"style_du_lien":"btn"}],"row_id":"","background_color":"mauve","mode":"normal","row_padding_bottom":true,"encadre":false,"encadre_background_color":"white","row_couleur_texte":"noir"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_boxes","row_title":"Program","row_texts":[{"type":"texte","text_content":"

The day opens in plenary, then splits into two parallel tracks: panels on one side, workshops on the other. You choose your track for each time slot.<\/p>\r\n

9:00 AM: Opening remarks<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

9:30 AM: Keynote - From Prototype to Production: ML at Studio Scale (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

According to La Guilde's survey, 62% of Quebec studios already use machine learning, but in a third of cases, no one is driving its adoption. Leaders driving this shift share their decisions, their missteps, and what they'd do differently.<\/p>\r\n

With St\u00e9phanie Marchand<\/a> (BHVR), Brian McWilliams<\/a> (Wild Blueberry Games). Moderated by Julien Bouvrais<\/a> (pragmaFrame)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Starting at 11:00 AM, there are two parallel tracks:<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Panels<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

11:00 AM: Sound Propagation: Technical Innovations for Interactive Audio (EN)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Dynamic reverberation, occlusion, spatialization: new approaches to sound simulation that are transforming interactive audio, and the trade-offs they bring to production.<\/p>\r\n

With Louis-Xavier Buffoni<\/a> (Audiokinetic), Hugo Seut\u00e9<\/a> (Ubisoft La Forge), and Nikunj Raghuvanshi<\/a> (Xbox). Moderator: TBA<\/em><\/p>\r\n

1:15 PM: Neural Rendering: Current Applications and Future Directions for Real-Time Rendering (EN)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Neural rendering is redefining real-time graphics: recent innovations, concrete production applications, and an honest look at its current limitations.<\/p>\r\n

With Andrea Weidlich<\/a> (NVIDIA) and Georges Nader<\/a> (Ubisoft La Forge). Moderated by Adrien Grusson<\/a> (\u00c9TS)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

2:45 PM: Testing and Balancing Through Reinforcement Learning: State of the Art and Use Cases (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Agents trained through reinforcement learning are speeding up QA cycles and catching imbalances at scale, with an honest look at the limitations and resources this requires.<\/p>\r\n

With Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique Robichaud<\/a> (Gearbox), Mahzad Kalantari<\/a> (Wizards of The Coast), and Fran\u00e7ois Pelland<\/a> (LocusX). Moderated by Nicolas Eypert<\/a> (Netflix)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

4:15 PM: UX and Accessibility: Design Principles and Applicable Standards (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Innovations in UX design and emerging approaches to accessibility: two areas that, each in their own way, are expanding the reach and experience of games.<\/p>\r\n

Panelists and moderator to be announced.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Workshops<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n

Registration is required, space is limited to 15 people per activity, maximum 2 workshops per person.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

11:00 AM: Designing for Motivation: Using Player Profiles to Guide Strategic Decisions (EN)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Rather than asking \"is this game fun?\", this workshop asks: why, and for which players? How do player profiles guide design choices and become a shared language across teams?<\/p>\r\n

With Pejman Mirza-Babaei<\/a> (Ontario Tech University)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

1:15 PM: Managing Co-Development, Part 2: A Deeper Look at Multi-Studio Collaboration (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The follow-up to last year's workshop, this time with two voices, offering concrete tools to structure, align, and make multi-studio collaboration work.<\/p>\r\n

With Isabelle Bismuth<\/a> (IBIS Partnerships) and Sabrina Jacques<\/a> (Warner Bros. Montr\u00e9al)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

2:45 PM: Innovation Clinic: How Do You Give Yourself Permission to Innovate? (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

What allows an idea to move from concept to action? A participatory clinic mixing personal stories and peer discussion, you'll leave with a concrete next step.<\/p>\r\n

With L\u00e9o Carnaut-Delord<\/a> (Polymorph) and Carle C\u00f4t\u00e9<\/a> (Paralog). Moderated by CDRIN<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

4:15 PM: Claude Code in Practice: Beyond the Code (FR)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

What can you really delegate to an agent today? An hour of live demos (development, test automation, log analysis) with real, immediately applicable use cases, including other agentic environments.<\/p>\r\n

With Julien Bouvrais<\/a> (pragmaFrame)<\/em><\/p>\r\n

5:30 PM: Closing remarks and networking<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Networking breaks are woven throughout the day. Lunch and evening cocktails are included.<\/p>","text_image":null,"plateforme":"","id_youtube":"","id_vimeo":"","taille_paragraphe":"normale","text_action":null,"style_du_lien":"btn"}],"row_id":"","background_color":"mauve","mode":"normal","row_padding_bottom":true,"encadre":true,"encadre_background_color":"white","row_couleur_texte":"noir"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","row_image":7699,"row_id":"","background_color":"mauve"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_boxes","row_title":"Recap of the 2025 Edition","row_texts":[{"type":"texte","text_content":"

More than 150 professionals from the video game industry and related sectors gathered at Espace Ax.c for a day of discussions, networking, and learning.<\/p>\r\n

The result of an inspiring collaboration between La Guilde and the CDRIN, this initiative aims to build a bridge between academia and industry leaders. Together, we looked toward the future: what tools, methods, and experiments will shape the successes of tomorrow?<\/p>\r\n

The success of this event highlights Quebec\u2019s strong position in game development innovation, reinforcing our status as a global leader in the industry.<\/p>\r\n

Luc Sirois, Quebec\u2019s Chief Innovator and Executive Director of the Conseil de l\u2019innovation du Qu\u00e9bec, attended and addressed the professionals in attendance; a powerful recognition of the innovation opportunities in video games and across related industries.<\/p>","text_image":null,"plateforme":"","id_youtube":"","id_vimeo":"","taille_paragraphe":"normale","text_action":{"title":"Revisiter la programmation 2025","url":"https:\/\/www.cdrin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Programmation_Sommet_final-764-x-1080-px.pdf","target":""},"style_du_lien":"btn"}],"row_id":"","background_color":"mauve","mode":"normal","row_padding_bottom":true,"encadre":true,"encadre_background_color":"white","row_couleur_texte":"noir"},{"acf_fc_layout":"corde_a_linge","items":[{"titre":"Innovation"},{"titre":"Creation"},{"titre":"Strategy"},{"titre":"Gaming"},{"titre":"Marketing"}],"row_id":"","background_color":"darkgreen"},{"acf_fc_layout":"partenaires","row_title":"Thank you to the Summit partners!","classements":[193,272,204],"row_link":null,"row_id":"","background_color":"green"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/initiative\/7496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/initiative"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/initiative"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"classification","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laguilde.quebec\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/classification?post=7496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}