Number of companies in Canada has grown 16 per cent in two years
While Canada’s video game industry is well-positioned for growth, it’s also facing a lack of diversity, finds a study by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC).
In the last two years, the number of Canadian video game companies increased by 16 per cent, to 692 active studios. And the industry supports about 48,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) including 27,700 FTEs directly employed by video-game companies.
“While companies are thriving in Canada’s strong video game development sector, our industry continues to sit at the centre of an innovation ecosystem that is driving growth in Canada’s digital economy,” says Jayson Hilchie, president and CEO of ESAC. “With many of the world’s biggest franchises driving strong job growth in this country, our industry will continue to punch above its weight and lead the world in the development of exciting and innovative digital entertainment.”
However, in 2019, women made up roughly 19 per cent of the direct workforce in the industry, only slightly higher than in 2017 when women constituted 16 per cent, says the study, based largely on an online survey of 182 companies by Nordicity.
The video game industry has a relatively young workforce, with an average age of 31.
Since 2017, Canada’s video game industry workforce saw growth in the number of junior and intermediate employees. This shift in workforce demographics translated into a slight decrease of average FTE salary from $77,300 in 2017 to $75,900 in 2019.
