An overview of the Canadian esports market size

In recent years, esports competitions have become very popular across the globe, turning competitive gaming into a full-on sport. What was once a niche community was turning into a multi-billion dollar phenomenon. 

Games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Fortnite have massive followings and see millions of dollars change hands each year. Canada also plays a fairly large role in this industry. 

Canada’s role in the global esports market

Canadian players have notched some incredible achievements in the esports market. In 2017, second place in the Overwatch World Cup went to Canada. Canadian StarCraft player Sasha ”Scarlett” Hostyn pulled off a major coup by winning at the IEM championship in Pyeongchang, one of the greatest feats by a woman in esports while also upending the entrenched Korean stars of the game.

There are also a fair number of prominent organizations operating out of Canada. Overwatch League has two Canadian teams in the Vancouver Titans and Toronto Defiant. Attached to the Vancouver Titans is the ownership of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and prominent multi-game organization Luminosity Gaming. 

And that’s not the only role Canada has in the global esports market. Business-wise, due to the nature of this market and the online world, Canada can launch new online casinos in Canada in 2021, online and mobile games, and other products. Canada .

Rising employment rate in the gaming industry

Gaming in Canada is thriving, just like in the rest of the world. Alongside the entertainment side of the industry, gaming is a serious business entity as well.

Canada’s gaming industry is responsible for adding $3.7 billion to the country’s GDP. There are a long list of prominent studios in Canada who employ designers, artists, casino experts, and many other roles, making Canada the third-biggest country when it comes to gaming industry employment behind only the United States and Japan. 

Vancouver and Toronto are the leading cities

At the moment, Vancouver and Toronto are the two leading cities in Canada when speaking about the global esports scene. That said, some of the largest studios are found elsewhere in Canada with Bioware headquartered in Edmonton and Ubisoft having a large presence in Montreal.

Summing it up

This global gaming industry has witnessed incredible developments. Canada’s esports market share was billed at $11 million by 2019, but it has risen to $23 million since then. There is no doubt that Canada represents a fruitful ground for further development of the esport industry, and ultimately this sector will continue to expand in the future.