Game Dev brought $3.4 billion to the Canadian economy

Assassin’s Creed: Origins by Ubisoft Montreal

The data was published by the analytical firm Nordicity commissioned by the Canadian Entertainment Software Association (ESAC).

The sources of funds in the specified $3.4 billion are distributed as follows:

• almost $2 billion is brought directly by game dev (development and publication);
• another $1.4 billion — other related economic impacts (without clarification).

Gamedev in Canada

In parallel, analysts assessed the state of the Canadian industry. It is the third largest in the world (after the USA and Japan).

There are 692 active studios in the country. 82% of them are located in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. For example, two Ubisoft branches (in Toronto and Montreal) and Eidos Montreal are located here. There are also large studios in Alberta (BioWare Edmonton).

Number of employees in gaming companies in Canada in 2017 and 2019 (by region)
Cadres in the Canadian game dev are attracted by the tax system, which provides favorable benefits.

So to date, 27.7 thousand full-time employees work in gaming companies in Canada. Their number has increased by more than a quarter since 2017. The largest influx of talent is again in Ontario and Quebec, according to Mobile Syrup.

At the same time, the annual salary of all full-time employees involved in game development fell to $57 thousand (against $58 in 2017).

Recall that last year, Canadian consumers’ spending on games reached $2.3 billion. The country ranked 8th in the world in terms of the turnover of the gaming market. At the same time, it was reported that out of 36.3 million Canadians, 21.2 million are active gamers.

Also on the topic:

• The turnover of the Canadian gaming market reached $2.3 billion