SGI, Alias and Wavefront merge

Hollywood companies have been scouting Canadian animation talent for some time now, but lately they’re widening the net and picking up bigger fish.

Toronto-based Alias Research is the latest to be absorbed in the great digital courting game that is playing out south of the border, where all the majors are bent on powerful alliances and acquisition of key properties.

Throwing in its lot with computer systems giant Silicon Graphics and another California company, software developer Wavefront Technologies, in a us$500 million merger this month (a stock-swap transaction is set for June 30), Alias and Wavefront will become part of a new 3D software company based in Toronto, with operations in Vancouver and Santa Barbara. Current Alias president/ceo Rob Burgess will be president of the new sgi subsidiary and Mike Noling, Wavefront president and ceo, will report to Burgess as vice-president operations.

sgi sees this as the latest plank in its creation of the digital studio. One of the projects for the new organization is pushing through FireWalker, an interactive authoring toolset incorporating the Multimastering approach for recycling source materials for other interactive media.

The deal comes in the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of Alias competitor Montreal’s Softimage last year. And now other hot Canadian software companies are wondering whether there’s a big brother in their futures, especially those with development ties already in place with major u.s. computer firms.

Medialink v-p

Former Videoway executive Jean-Pascal Lion has been named Quebec vice-president at Medialink, the teleco-financed multimedia programmer.

Multimedia selections

From the 24 Ontario-based applications for its New Media Development Program fund, the Ontario Film Development Corporation has approved five multimedia projects: The Superintendent (Animatics Multimedia), The Jupiter Cafe (Blue Dog Pictures), Dick Whittington and His Cat: A Musical Adventure (Peter Rowe Productions), Maggie Muggins and the Fantastic Garden (Mackerel), Save the School! An Adventure Game for Teaching Conflict Resolution Strategies (WM Communications).

The next deadline for New Media Development Program submissions is Feb. 15.