The Canadian gaming market is experiencing a real revolution, with new players and sustained growth in the number of players. There are nearly 600 video game studios in operation, contributing $3.7 billion to the country’s GDP in 2017 and creating many jobs. In 2023, which sectors stand out as being the most promising?
Fortnite leads the way in online games
In 2018, 61% of Canadians considered themselves video game fans, compared to 24% in 2016: this is an exponential increase in players in the country. Women now represent half of the players.
The online gaming sector is booming, and cross-platform games are increasing. For example, in 2020, approximately 36% of Canadian gamers reported playing Fortnite. We can also cite Minecraft, which allows you to build virtual worlds and play in creative or survival mode. League of Legends And Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are also popular.
Canadian studios are securing an international reputation with dazzlingly successful games. Rockstar Toronto, for example, helped develop classic titles such as Grand Theft Auto And Red Dead Redemption.
Other Canadian studios like Eidos Montreal are known for games such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution And Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Bioware Edmonton, a company founded in 1995, is known for its role-playing game series Mass Effect And Dragon Age.
Online casinos
Among the most popular genres, games of chance such as slot machines, roulette or blackjack are in a good position. In fact, there are 19.3 million active players in Canada, on hundreds of platforms using technologies varied.
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Some online casinos directly target Canadian players by offering them the possibility of withdrawing their winnings directly in Canadian dollars.
Professional streamers
THE Canadian streamers More and more people are promoting online games by broadcasting their games live on Twitch. Pokimane, a Moroccan-Canadian streamer who started on the platform in 2013, is known for her games of League of Legends, Fortnite And Overwatch.
Likewise, some streamers have become professional players, and thus join the lucky ones who manage to earn a living thanks to online games. Félix “xQc” Lengyel, born in Quebec, began his career as a professional gamerOverwatch. He also represented the professional team Dallas Fuel during the league Overwatch of 2018. He also participated in three World Cups Overwatch for Team Canada, from 2017 to 2019.
Canadian video games ensure their continued success through their diversification. Recently, the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy and several studios such as Ubisoft financed Squid Squad, a work-study training pilot project in the fields of 3D animation, multimedia and computer programming, so that students can acquire their first professional experience in gaming.