Survey Illuminates Canadian Game Development

New Media British Columbia, an industry association for promoting new media companies in the region, has released the details of a survey of the overall Canadian video game development community, alongside the Industrial Research Assistance Program and the National Research Council of Canada. The survey reports that there are some 300 game companies in Canada, the majority of which are developers, with a rise specifically in the mobile sector. Of these companies, 44% operate out of British Columbia, home to offices for Electronic Arts, Radical, Nokia and Rockstar, among other companies, followed by Ontario, in which Digital Illusions, Global Star Software and Digital Extremes have offices, then Quebec, Ubisoft Canada’s home base, and also home to a second EA studio. Not included in the released findings, but presumably further down the list, is Alberta, in which BioWare is based. Of the companies surveyed, 55% report to be developing proprietary technology, such as game engines and content management systems. The study also reports that Canadian game companies find North America to be their most important market, followed by Europe, with China in third place.