Montréal is known as a playful city. But we don’t just play games — we also produce them! Home to a pool of creative and specialized talent, Montréal is a hotbed of video game production. Ranging from VFX to animation to gamification, Montréal studios create experiences not only for good times with friends but also tools to train professionals in fields such as health care and education.
Fertile ground for a creative field
According to our learned friends at Montréal International, one of the reasons that Montréal is a gaming capital is because of the wealth of post-secondary institutions that provide an immense amount of fresh talent annually. The Greater Montréal region boasts more than 3,000 college students enrolled in technical programs related to video games, animation and visual effects, preparing to work at one of the nearly 300 studios in the city — or at the many other types of tech service providers, which include Autodesk, Unity, Keywords studios and Global Steps. The city ranks in the top 5 metropolitan areas worldwide for the number of workers with skills in video games.
Many highly successful games were developed in Montréal, including AAA games such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Guardians of the Galaxy, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Borderlands, Batman: Arkham Origin and Star Wars Squadrons. That’s an exciting hotbed of creativity for the 13,000+ workers in the field to join.
World-class video games design companies are attracted to the city in part for the 32% cost advantage that exists for them in Montréal compared to the average 20 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the US — that and the tax credit programs, which are some of the most generous in the world at up to 37.5%.
World-famous video game studios based in Montréal
Ubisoft
A video game company from France with several development studios across the world, including Montréal. Its video game franchises include Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Prince of Persia, Tom Clancy’s, Just Dance and more.
WB Games Montréal
WB Games Montréal is a division of Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. Founded in 2010, the Montréal-based studio is 300+ creative team members strong, creating unforgettable games including Batman: Arkham Origins, Gotham Knights and LEGO Legends of Chima: Tribe Fighters.
Gameloft
Pioneers in video game creation since the 2000s, Gameloft is constantly innovating to create new games experiences. Their roster is massive, including partnerships with Disney, LEGO and more that have produced games like Disney Magic Kingdoms, Minion Rush, March of Empires and Asphalt Legends Unite.
Electronic Arts
EA develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers. EA has more than 450 million registered players around the world, and has developed games including The SIMS, NHL 25 and Apex Legends.
Cloud Chamber
Cloud Chamber creates games according to values that support diversity in both the makeup of the studio and the games they produce. The results include their most famous franchise, the critically acclaimed BioShock series.
Behaviour Interactive
A leading independent video game developer specializing in the production of 2D and 3D action/adventure games for home video game consoles, handheld game consoles, PCs and mobile. Their portfolio includes Dead by Daylight, Game of Thrones (Beyond the Wall), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Meet Your Maker.
Eidos-Montréal
eidosmontreal.com
This experienced studio of immersive experience creators always pushes the envelope in terms of motion capture, photogrammetry and audio. They’ve produced a variety of iconic IPs, including Deus Ex, Thief, Tomb Raider, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and more.
Bethesda
The award-winning development team known around the world for their ground-breaking work on The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. Their game Starfield garnered 10 million players in less than three weeks of its release, making it the biggest launch in the studio’s history.
Epic
A leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology, Epic operates one of the world’s largest games, Fortnite, which is a vibrant ecosystem of social entertainment experiences including first-party games like Fortnite Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival, as well as creator-made experiences.
Video game industry events to watch out for
Increasingly, the city is also playing host to eSport events, with competitions taking place at Montréal’s conveniently located downtown convention centre and other venues across the city.
Montréal International Games Summit (MIGS)
Annually
Canada’s largest and longest-running business-to-business video game conference, MIGS attracts more than 3,000 passionate video game industry professionals to Montréal every year. It covers industry trends, business growth, development best practices and external development strategies.
DemoNights
Annually
DemoNights is a showcase for never-before-seen Quebec games and their developers. It attracts hundreds of thousands of online viewers plus in-person attendees, making this event an essential showcase for local talent.
laguilde.quebec/en/initiative/demonights
Montréal Comiccon
Annually
Held at the Montréal Convention Centre, the Palais des congrès de Montréal, the Montréal Comiccon features comic books, toys, video games, science-fiction, horror, anime, non-sport cards and a wide variety of panels and parties to keep gamers entertained.
Behaviour Game Jam
Annually
A game development event where participants collaborate to create games within a limited time frame of 48 hours. Game Jam attracts a mix of professional developers and members of the public, all games are judged and ranked at the end of this feverish event.
eventbrite.ca/e/game-jam-behaviour
QueerTech
Events throughout the year
An international organization with a Montréal presence, Queertech strives to queer the tech ecosystem by breaking down barriers, creating spaces, and connecting communities to support and empower LGBTQ+ people in the field.
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