Students from universities in Quebec won an $8,000 scholarship at the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition in Montreal for their game prototype, Soul Shaper. The students, a group of creators from the École de technologie supérieure, École NAD-UQAC, and the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, won the prize for Best Game Prototype on May 5th.
Soul Shaper, which was designed by Rachel Boulay, is an arcade-inspired game featuring a cosmic battle as the player must fight their way to Heaven. “Let your imagination take shape as you wield the power of creation against the only thing separating you from heaven,” reads the game’s description. “Bend space and time as you battle your foe in Soul Shaper.” A large and dedicated team contributed to Soul Shaper, and they include Cameron Lamoureux, Wanda Valentina Venegas Amaya, Ulric Boucher, Sébastien Jacquoudet, William Gingras, Yussef Shehadeh, Leah Fortin, and Jonathan Lauzon.
The game was created at the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition, where competitors worked for 10 weeks to create a game based around the prompt “arcade.” Over 150 students created games with the help of 39 mentors. “It’s clear that Quebec universities offer some of the best video game programs in the world today,” said chair of the jury and VP or Production Intelligence Chadi Lebbos. “Quebec’s savoir-faire is in good hands with the next generation of students. Congratulations to all the teams for their exceptional work.” Around 10 participants will also be offered internships or jobs. Last year, around 30 participants were hired by Ubisoft studios in Quebec.
Many other prizes were awarded at the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition. Soul Shaper also won the $2,000 prize for Soul Shaper. Nuclear Rollout received prizes for Best Game Design, and Best Camera, Characters, and Controls. After School received a prize for Best Art Direction and Production, and Arcade Rush received a prize for Best Technical Challenge and Innovation. High Maintenance won for Best User Experience, Feline Fortress won for the Jury’s Special Award, and Neon Racer won for Fan Choice.