Meta: Montreal and Québec City are major game development hubs. Here we will be looking at why game development is thriving in Canada. 

Video game development is currently thriving in Canada, and many leaders in the video game industry are attracted to Canada for a number of reasons. Two of the major hubs are currently located in Montreal and Québec City. 

It’s not just the video game industry that’s booming in these two major hubs, but the online casino industry (and the wide range of licensed gambling products that can now be found at trusted sites, such as leovegas.com/en-ca/bingo) is also now thriving, thanks to relaxed laws. The question being asked here is, why is game development thriving in Canada?

Why has Canada become such a major hub for game development?

Canada, in particular Montreal and Québec City, has attracted some of the biggest names from the video game development sector for a number of reasons, such as:

  • Advantageous tax laws that benefit companies
  • Canada has one of the strongest economies in the world
  • Gaming laws and regulations make it favourable for the big game development companies and businesses 
  • Attractive cities with great infrastructure
  • Lots of highly qualified workers who can fill a variety of expert roles that directly relate to the industry
  • Canada is well known as being a friendly and warm nation that’s welcoming and helpful to most outsiders who decide to move to the country

Canada is rapidly becoming the go-to place for game development companies to set up shop, and the country is well known for its well-educated workforce. There are a great many people who are educated in certain fields that relate to computer science and other similar disciplines. This makes it much easier for companies who are looking to employ a large number of qualified employees to grow their business. 

Companies that get into the field of video game development are also helped a great deal by the government, which offers more support than most other governments around the world.

Popular games that were made in Canada

Canada has crafted some of the biggest titles in modern video gaming, and it looks as though it will continue to make and release some great games over the coming years. Examples of two of the best video games that have come out of Canada include:

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution – a single-player action role-playing game that was initially released in August 2011. It was developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix’s European subsidiary. This popular game is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Mac operating systems, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3
  • Assassin’s Creed III – an action-adventure video game that was released in October 2012 and was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. This hit title is also available across multiple platforms, namely the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Wii U and Google Stadia

Some of the other hit titles that have been developed by Ubisoft Montreal are Assassins Creed (2007), Child of Light (2014), Far Cry 3 (2012), Assassin’s Creed II (2010), and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010). Other notable mentions include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (2002), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), Watch Dogs (2014), For Honor (2017), and Hyper Space (2020). 

Which other big game development companies are based in Canada?

Some of the other big game development companies that are also based in Canada include Capybara Games, King Entertainment, Behaviour Interactive, and App Incubator, as well as Bit Space Development Ltd, Klei Entertainment, Zemind Studios, and Gogi Games. Game development companies, businesses, local authorities, and the government are all constantly coming up with new ways for game development studios to innovate and prosper, which is why so many choose to set up shop in this open and receptive hub. 

The future looks even brighter for the game development industry in Canada, and although it’s much smaller than the US game development sector, the Canadian industry is, in fact, growing at a much faster rate than the US industry, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.