Zynga

Canada's Games Industry: Test Market, Talent, Tax Breaks

Canada's games industry is a strategic hub for North American development thanks to a mature consumer market, deep talent pools and generous tax incentives. Major international publishers maintain significant Canadian teams in cities such as Montréal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto, and the country is widely used for mobile soft launches that predict US performance. Mobile revenue in Canada grew from $543.5M to $1.7441B between 2015 and 2025 (over 220% growth). Industry groups report differing total-revenue estimates (ESAC: $4.3B in 2021; government administrative data: $6.7B). Provincial incentives — for example Ontario’s 35–40% Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit and Québec’s long-standing credits — plus recent moves like British Columbia raising its credit to 25% (from Sept 2025) reinforce Canada’s attractiveness for publishers and developers.

FarmVille 3 launches kitten rescue event supporting pet rescues

Zynga has partnered with public benefit corporation Dots.eco to launch the 'A Home For Every Kitten' FarmVille 3 event, running August 11 to September 7, in celebration of International Cat Day. Players complete everyday farm tasks across four weekly phases, upgrade a Rescue Base using Co-op Rescue Tokens and crafted items, and earn seven-day in-game boosts. A premium pass offers instant phase completion, extra barn space and bonus boosts. In-game purchases during the campaign will contribute to the Dots.eco Support Rescued Pets initiative. Dots.eco will issue 5,000 official certificates to contributing players, and three randomly selected certificate holders will be invited to feature on the FarmVille 3 website.

AI startup offered job interviews for permanent tattoos

At a Y Combinator networking event in San Francisco, LemonLime founders Jordan Zietz and Daniela Muñoz brought a tattoo artist and offered guaranteed immediate job interviews to attendees who received a permanent tattoo. Seven people accepted. The stunt was posted on LinkedIn, provoked widespread backlash on social platforms and in the press, and prompted a public apology from Zietz. LemonLime has contacted the tattooed participants and offered to fully cover laser removal costs if they later regret their tattoos. Public figures including Mark Pincus criticized the ethical implications of linking permanent body modification to rare job opportunities.