SALTZMAN: Montreal-made ‘South of Midnight’ tops Canadian Game Awards

And other tech and gaming news you can use

Published May 23, 2026  •  5 minute read

Representatives of Compulsion Games receive the award for "Game of the Year" at the 2026 Canadian Game Awards in Toronto, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Photo by Marc Saltzman /Toronto Sun

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It was certainly “game on” for South of Midnight, which netted six wins at the 2026 Canadian Game Awards on Thursday night.

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Set in a fictionalized American Deep South, the single-player adventure was developed by Montreal-based Compulsion Games, which also took home the coveted prize of “Studio of the Year.”

The game initially launched in April 2025 for Windows PC and Xbox Series S/X, but more recently was ported over to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.

Fusing action with puzzle-solving and exploration, the gothic South of Midnight stars Hazel, a magical “Weaver” who must rescue her mother and heal her hurricane-ravaged hometown of Prospero by battling folklore monsters.

Held at Toronto’s John W. H. Bassett Theatre and streamed worldwide via YouTube and Twitch, the Canadian Game Awards (CGAs) celebrated 2025’s very best in interactive entertainment born out of the Great White North.

Beating out games made by much bigger studios/publishers, like Electronic Arts (EA) and Ubisoft, South of Midnight was awarded “Game of the Year,” “Best Console Game,” “Best Art Direction,” “Best Audio Design,” “Best Score/Soundtrack,” and “Best Narrative.”

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Established to celebrate Canada’s healthy video game development industry, the CGAs were conceived and created by Montreal-raised, Toronto-based video game journalist, broadcaster and producer Carl-Edwin Michel.

“Canadian games have a big impact not just here in Canada but the rest of the world,” says Michel, “and so we need to celebrate this amazing talent doing amazing things.”

Marc Saltzman (left) and Carl-Edwin Michel (right) attend the 2026 Canadian Game Awards in Toronto, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Photo by Marc Saltzman /Toronto Sun

“We have awards like the Junos for music and Canadian Screen Awards for film, TV, and other media, and so we should also be honouring the creators behind our massive entertainment medium,” adds Michel.

Best known for voicework in BioWare’s Mass Effect video game trilogy, the 2026 CGAs were hosted by famed Canadian voice actors Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale.

From developer Rogue Factor, the game Hell Is Us won “Best Game Design” and “Best Performance” (for Montreal-born actor Elias Toufexis).

Battlefield Studios’ Battlefield 6 earned “Best PC Game,” while Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Mobile nabbed “Best Mobile Game.” The “Best Indie Game” award went to Wanderstop, by developer Ivy Road. “Best VR/AR Game” was awarded to Toronto indie developer Games by Stitch, for its title Elsewhere Electric.

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Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows received huge applause for “Innovation in Accessibility” nod, as presented by Steve Saylor, a blind gamer, content creator, consultant, speaker, and accessibility advocate.

Along with winning “Best Content Creator,” gaming pioneer Victor Lucas was honoured with the inaugural “Game Changer Award” for his decades-long work in the industry profiling game developers, providing commentary, and celebrating gaming culture to millions of adoring fans worldwide.

A native of Vancouver, Lucas is best known for producing and cohosting television shows Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run. Today, his popular Electric Playground Network (EPN) channel on YouTube regularly releases new content, including video reviews, and streams “EP Classic” episodes, as well.

Hate new Spotify logo? It’s going away

The internet has spoken: Spotify’s new logo will return back to the original this week.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Spotify – the world’s most popular streaming service with more than 761 million users, including 293 million subscribers – the Stockholm, Sweden company changed its familiar icon to a shimmering, 3D-like disco ball.

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While it still contained its three signature “soundwave” arcs, many users on social media complained about the new look. Comments ranged from “ugliest thing on my homepage” and “a blurry, pixelated mess” to the icon giving “the frustrating illusion the app is permanently stuck mid-update.”

If you agree with any of this backlash, Spotify’s official social media accounts confirmed the disco ball was just a “temp glow up” to celebrate the milestone and the standard, flat green logo is scheduled to return next week.

Major streamers to pay more for CanCon

Speaking of streaming services, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the regulator that supervises Canada’s broadcasting and telecom systems, announced large video streaming services must direct 15% of their Canadian revenues toward local and Indigenous content – tripling the initial 5% requirement set two years ago.

As reported by National Post’s Jordan Gowling, the proposed increase in revenues from the likes of Disney+, Prime Video and Netflix are to help “stabilize” funding for Canadian content at around $2 billion per year.

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New rules would also allow platforms to work with Canadian production companies directly to create content, rather than direct cash to national funds, like the Canada Media Fund, which helped create the global TV show phenom Heated Rivalry.

An exact enforcement date is currently unknown and will likely be challenged by the streaming services.

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Alexa-powered podcasts debut in U.S.

Love podcasts? You’re not alone.

The (mostly) audio-based platform provides easily accessible, on-demand content about any topic you can think of, which you can enjoy virtually anywhere and anytime – even while multitasking, like driving or walking.

While it’s only in the U.S. to start, Amazon last week introduced an “Alexa Podcasts” feature for its upgraded Alexa+ assistant, which allows you to generate personalized podcast-style audio to listen to on-demand.

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Simply ask Alexa+ to create a podcast about any topic. The AI assistant will then provide an overview of what it plans to discuss, and you can converse with it to tweak the length, tone, or focus before it generates anything. Once finalized, the tool produces an audio episode featuring two AI-generated host voices chatting about your topic.

Wild.

To ensure the info is accurate (and up to date), Amazon says it has partnered with more than 200 licensed publishers, including Reuters, The Washington Post, Forbes, Business Insider, USA Today, Time, and the Associated Press, as well as popular publications under Conde Nast, Hearst and Vox brands.

No word yet on when Alexa Podcasts will come to Canada.

Time-saving Windows tip

Chances are you spend hours on a PC, for personal or professional reasons, but there’s one hack you should know to get more done in less time.

Called “Snap Layouts,” this essential Windows 11 tip is a built-in multitasking tool that allows you to quickly organize multiple open windows into preconfigured grid zones on your screen.

That is, instead of manually resizing windows, you can instantly snap apps into halves, thirds, or quadrants to maximize your screen space.

To get going, simply press the Windows key + Z, and in the top right corner of the screen you’ll see various layouts to choose from.

This trick instantly declutters your screen and turbocharges your multitasking.

You’re welcome.

— Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and is the author of the book, Apple Watch For Dummies (Wiley).

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