Summary
- The Canadian video game industry has produced some of the top global hits.
- The market size of the video game industry is expected to touch CAD 6.78 billion by 2027.
- The number of video game companies has jumped by more than 64% in recent years.
- The industry is also generating jobs for programmers and animators.
Why should we care about the Canadian video game industry? After all, it is just about entertainment, right?
No, this industry is not just about entertainment for some people. It is a crucial industry because it creates jobs for Canadians. More jobs also mean more export earnings for Canada and more dollars coming into Canada from other countries.
2D animation and 2D animation programs are already playing an increasingly vital role in the modern game industry. Higher growth in this industry also means more job opportunities in the field of animation and related fields.
The Canadian video game industry grew phenomenally during 2024. It also produced some of the finest global hits. In fact, the industry has been producing and exporting some of the finest games in the world. Canada has achieved these milestones despite its relatively smaller population compared to its rivals like the US, Japan, and South Korea.
The Canadian game industry is also growing because of the entry of new players in the market. For instance, the number of video game companies has jumped from 573 in 2017 to 937 in 2021, according to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
Let’s delve into the details and see which games left their mark on the global gaming community.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an action role-playing game launched in October 2024. The game is developed by BioWare. This Edmonton, Alberta-based firm was founded in 1995. Dragon Age: The Veilguard received various awards in different countries, such as Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards.
This game also received awards at The Game Awards and at the D.I.C.E. Awards. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the fourth major game in the Dragon Age franchise, and it is the sequel to Dragon Age: Inquisition, which was released in 2014. The game not only received positive reviews but was also appreciated by the game enthusiast. This game was also included in Time’s list of the 10 best video games of 2024.
Star Wars Outlaws
Star Wars Outlaws was released in August 2024 and got positive reviews from critics. This action-adventure game was developed by Sweden’s Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It is said that Ubisoft had spent a very high budget on the marketing of this game because of its high anticipation in the global markets.
This was a big-budget game, and according to estimates, the total cost of the game was easily upwards of $200 million. This game is not fully developed by a Canadian studio. But we have included this game in the list because Ubisoft Toronto played a key part in it. Unisoft Toronto is part of Unisoft, which is headquartered in Paris, France. This game was in development since 2020. A team of about 600 game developers from eleven Ubisoft studios took part in it.
Lil’ Guardsman
Lil’ Guardsman is developed by Hilltop Studios. This Toronto-based company was founded only in 2022. It is a puzzle video game, and it was released in January 2024. The game received a positive response and higher ratings on different platforms. It was also nominated for ‘Debut Game’ at the Indie Game Awards.
Nightingale
Nightingale is a survival video game that was launched in February 2024. It is a survival game developed by Inflexion Game. This company is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, and was founded in 2018. The game shows the Victorian era in which players have to survive during different missions. Nightingale is an open-world survival game in which a player adventures across the shadowy and risky missions and has to defeat monsters.
The Casting of Frank Stone
The Casting of Frank Stone was published by Behaviour Interactive. It is a Montreal, Quebec-based game developer and publisher that was founded in 1992. The game is an interactive drama horror game, and it was launched in September 2024. The Casting of Frank Stone has shown the summer of 1980 in Oregon, where four young aspiring filmmakers wanted to make a movie in a steel mill.
Behaviour Interactive is popular because of its multiplayer horror game Dead by Daylight — a game that became so popular that by 2023 it had more than 60 million players all over the world.
Conclusion
Statistics show that the market size of the Canadian video game industry has grown from CAD 2.18 billion in 2017 to CAD 5.28 billion in 2024. The market is expected to touch CAD 6.78 billion by 2027. Just like 2023, 2024 had been a very promising year for the Canadian video game industry.
The industry also faced serious challenges as the global video game industry saw layoffs around the world in 2024. Canadians in this industry also faced layoffs. Despite all these challenges, the Canadian game industry continued to produce big and small-budget games. The variety of games during 2024 also remained quite diverse as well.
Join 2D Character Animation Diploma At Edison College
If you are looking to join Canada’s game industry, then you can check out Edison College’s 2D Character Animation Diploma. Moreover, if you are interested in the Applied Arts Illustration Diploma Program, then you can also join this program.
If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us today to learn more.
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