The Quebec video game industry
Discover an industry that has become a world leader. For over 30 years, Quebec has been creating world-renowned games.
In a nutshell
Quebec’s video game industry is one of the most dynamic in the world. In just three decades, Quebec has become one of the world’s leading video game production hubs. Between 2014 and 2022, the number of studios in Quebec doubled. The vast majority of these new independent studios are founded by local entrepreneurs. This growth is due in part to a stable business environment, an emerging entrepreneurial spirit and various programs to support video game start-ups. Montreal and Quebec City are the two main production centers, but the regionalization of the sector is growing stronger, with new studios being set up outside the major centers, accounting for over 35% of new businesses since 2018, signalling the sector’s growing geographic diversification and resilience.
15 000
direct jobs
330+
companies
86%
Quebec owned
500+
games made in Quebec
The sector’s economic impact
The industry generates $1.4 billion in annual revenues, representing 57% of Quebec’s digital creativity sector. What’s more, 90% of revenues come from exports, positioning the industry as a key driver of the Quebec economy. Quebec’s public support for the industry has a positive impact: every dollar invested in video games will generate $4.21 for the Quebec economy by 2023.
- $1.4 billion impact on Quebec GDP
- 90% of revenues come from exports
- 57% of the digital creativity sector
- Every dollar invested returns $4.21 to the Quebec economy
Remarkable successes
Quebec not only plays a major role in the global video game industry, it also generates huge successes thanks to its local studios. Here are just a few examples of Quebec success stories :
- Behaviour Interactive (1992): Creator of the famous game Dead by Daylight, which has been played by over 60 million gamers worldwide.
- Red Barrels (2011): Known for the Outlast horror franchise, with over 40 million copies sold.
- Thunder Lotus Games (2014): The studio behind Spiritfarer, which has sold over 4 million copies since 2015, with three games to its credit.
- Norsfell Games (2013): Developer of Tribes of Midgard, a game that has reached over 4 million players.
- Sabotage Studio (2016) whose first two games The Messenger and Sea of Stars reached 3 million and 5 million players respectively across all platforms.
- Assassin’s Creed, a franchise born of Quebec know-how at Ubisoft Montreal (1997), which has since expanded into 13 major games and numerous spin-offs, totaling over 200 million copies sold.
- WB Games Montréal ‘sBatman: Arkham Origins (2010) added a Quebec touch to the Batman: Arkham franchise with a snowy Gotham City that appealed to nearly 7 million players.
- Panache Jeux Numériques (2014) reached 2 million copies sold with its first game Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey.
- Nine Dots Studio (2011) not only pulled off a tour de force by creating the open-world role-playing game Outward with a small team, but also passed the 1 million copies sold mark.
- Independent studio Tribute Games sold close to 2 million copies of its Mercenary Kings game , then struck a nostalgic chord with over 2 million players with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
These studios illustrate Quebec’s ability to produce innovative games that resonate internationally, making an important contribution to global digital culture.