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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchCanada’s video game industry was a $5.5-billion contributor to GDP in the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) and Nordicity’s 2021 report, with 937 active studios and 32,300 full-time-equivalent jobs. Those are historical figures, not a current snapshot. A later source says the sector contributed $5.1 billion to GDP in 2024 and had more than 820 studios, but the available figures do not establish a like-for-like trend.
In a 2021 interview, ESAC president and CEO Jayson Hilchie discussed what drove the sector’s growth, how its provincial hubs differ, and the policy and workforce challenges facing studios. His comments offer a view of the industry at that time—not an update on current hiring conditions or tax-credit rules.
What the 2021 report said about the industry’s size
The ESAC’s 2021 report, conducted by Nordicity and discussed in a November 2021 MobileSyrup interview with Hilchie, measured a large Canadian video game development sector. It reported $5.5 billion in GDP contribution, 937 active studios and 32,300 full-time-equivalent jobs.
Compared with 2019, the report recorded growth of 23% in GDP contribution, 35% in studio count and 17% in full-time-equivalent employment. These percentages describe the period covered by that report; they should not be read as current annual growth rates.
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A later summary by Ontario’s Universities, published in 2025, says the sector had more than 820 active studios and contributed $5.1 billion to GDP in 2024. That source does not provide a matching employment breakdown or explain whether its studio count uses the same methodology as the 2021 report. The two snapshots therefore do not establish a precise decline in studios or GDP.
Why the sector kept moving during COVID-19
Hilchie credited two existing capabilities: digital distribution and the ability to shift work to employees’ homes. Studios already had online channels for selling games, and remote-work arrangements helped teams continue development through pandemic restrictions. The interview pointed to Ubisoft Toronto’s Far Cry 6 and Eidos-Montréal’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as examples of major releases from Canadian studios during that period.
He described this resilience as the result of infrastructure and working practices built over time, rather than a system invented in response to the pandemic. That is his explanation in a 2021 interview; it does not establish how Canadian studios operate today.
Canada’s studios are concentrated, but regional ecosystems differ
The 2021 report placed 80% of Canadian studios in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. That concentration does not mean the provinces had identical industry profiles. Hilchie characterized British Columbia as having a more established base of medium and large studios, tracing part of its history to Distinctive Software and the later growth of EA Canada/EA Vancouver. The interview also noted growth in Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
These observations distinguish the number of studios from their scale and maturity. The available sources do not provide current province-by-province counts or a comparable regional employment breakdown.
Hilchie’s 2021 priorities: talent, incentives and access to skills
Hilchie said fast growth had made recruitment difficult, describing a “massive labour crunch” in the industry. He argued that sustaining the sector required attracting and retaining talent, maintaining public support, and broadening access to digital-skills education—including exposure to computing earlier in life.
He also viewed provincial tax incentives as a way to anchor jobs locally. At the same time, he noted a tension: if teams can work remotely, it becomes harder for place-based incentives to ensure that work stays in the province offering them. These were policy views voiced in 2021, not a guide to current eligibility, credit rates or rules. Those details vary by jurisdiction and are not established by the sources cited here.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2021 report said about representation
In the 2021 report context, women made up 23% of developers, four percentage points more than in 2019. The interview also reported that 56% of companies had not developed an equity, diversity and inclusion plan. Both figures describe the study’s historical context; they should not be treated as current workforce or company-wide measures.
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Hilchie connected inclusion to the wider talent pipeline, arguing that who gets early access to digital skills affects who can enter the industry. The figures show why workforce composition and formal company plans were part of the sector discussion at the time, but they do not by themselves explain the causes of representation gaps.
Quick Recap
What readers can—and cannot—take from the figures
- For the 2021 period: the ESAC/Nordicity report documented substantial GDP contribution, studio growth and employment.
- For 2024: Ontario’s Universities reported $5.1 billion in GDP contribution and more than 820 active studios, without a matching employment breakdown in the cited passage.
- For comparisons: the available sources do not show that the two snapshots use identical definitions and counting methods, so they cannot support a precise year-over-year trend.
- For policy and jobs: Hilchie’s comments identify issues he considered important in 2021; they do not confirm current labor demand, remote-work patterns or provincial tax-credit terms.
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