The video game industry remains a vital contributor to Canada’s economy, a new report has affirmed, counting more than 800 studios employing a combined 34,000 people who contribute over $5 billion toward the nation’s GDP.
While noting that there was a decrease in employment of roughly 3% since 2021, the report—titled “Canada’s Video Game Industry: Powering the Future of Play”—suggests this minor decline was offset by an increase in the percentage of full-time employees and a 21% rise in average salary across all roles to north of $100,000.
“The number of senior level jobs and the average salary of employees have increased significantly, highlighting the overall maturation of the industry,” reads a page from the economic impact study, conducted by Nordicity for the ESAC.
“The video game industry is a cornerstone of Canada’s digital economy, creating high quality jobs, driving innovation, and showcasing our creativity on the global stage,” said Paul Fogolin, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
“Our video game studios have had to navigate significant challenges coming out of the pandemic,” he continued, “but this report shows the maturity of the industry overall, and the importance of continuing to invest in its growth and success.”
Of the 34,000 Canadians working in the video game industry—whose average age is 34—roughly one-third (11,000) hail from B.C., primarily in and around the tech hotspot of Vancouver. These employees are spread across nearly 150 different studios.
This is Canada’s second largest hub for game development outside of Quebec, which houses more than 15,000 workers in the field across 250 studios. Ontario has as many studios but a far smaller workforce at about 6,000.
In Canada, there are 50 companies categorized as Very Large (having over 100 employees). BC is home to 17 of these, or one-third of the total, with 21 in Quebec and 10 in Ontario.
ESAC represents the national voice of the video game industry in Canada.
