MEDIA ADVISORY
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XP GAME DEVELOPER SUMMIT TORONTO PUTS KEY FOCUS ON CANADIAN VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY GROWTH

Summit aims to give the resilient Canadian game sector a greater presence on the world stage.

April 13, 2023, Toronto, ON — The Canadian Video Game Industry is a key focus of the upcoming XP Game Developer Summit. To help give the robust industry a larger global presence, the XP Game Developer Summit will welcome international industry leaders and investors to the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, April 20 & 21st, 2023. 

According to a recent study from Nordicity, the Canadian video game industry employs over 55,000 people both directly and indirectly, with $3.4 billion in estimated revenues, contributing $5.5 billion to Canada’s GDP. The industry grew substantially during the pandemic and while current growth has slowed somewhat in the face of external factors, it still exceeds pre-pandemic expectations. 

The recession resistant nature of the Canadian games industry is due to a number of factors including labour pool, volume of independent studios, uniquely generated IP, and government support. The higher than average per capita labour pool, makes Canada an attractive game manufacturing hub for international publishers and investors. 

“The Canadian video game sector continues to thrive despite the broader macro-economic conditions; punching well above its weight internationally.” said Kristian Roberts, Co-CEO and Managing Partner of Nordicity. “We’ve done a fantastic job of attracting the largest studios and publishers in the world to set up shop in Canada. In addition, we can now increasing focus on creating global opportunities for Canadian-owned studios.”

With over 900 studios, Canada has proven it can deliver AAA games on pre-existing IP such as Need For Speed by EA or Far Cry 6 and Assassin’s Creed from Ubisoft, as well generate smash hit original IP like Cuphead by Studio MDHR, Don’t Starve by Klei Entertainment, and Dead by Daylight by Behaviour Interactive. 

The international community is beginning to notice Canada’s incredible contributions to the global game industry and the XP Game Developer Summit is focussed on enhancing that momentum.

“The Canadian video game sector is a major contributor to the Canadian economy and to the world market.” said Jason Lepine, CEO of XP Gaming Inc. “The XP Game Developer Summit gives Canada a greater international presence by offering global investors the opportunity to join our industry momentum and help it grow even faster.”

Canadian governments at federal and provincial levels have recognized the importance of the $5.5 billion video game sector, and push to fuel growth through a series of initiatives including funding, tax incentives, and loans. For the 2023-24 budget alone, the Canada Media Fund (CMF), committed $366M to support Canada’s Television and Digital Media Industry. The Federal government added an additional $40M this year, along with a series of other programs including the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program. Individual provinces have their own programs such as the Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC), or the Nova Scotia Digital Media Tax Credit. This combination of federal and provincial programs offer creators a unique ecosystem to develop games in and push industry growth.

Industry leaders, publishers and international investors will be at the XP Game Developer Summit to connect with attendees and share the current state of the industry in an intimate and focused space. The summit is proud to feature partnerships with video game industry leaders including Ubisoft, Behaviour Interactive, AMD, AWS, Gameloft, and Certain Affinity. AAA, AA, and indie studios will be at the event to pitch their projects, get the support they need, build their network, and learn from some of the top companies in the industry. The summit includes full days of panels and masterclasses on a wide variety of topics including The State of the Canadian Game Industry, The Utility of Esports & Gaming Sponsorships, Women in Games, and How the Rise of AI/ML Will Impact Your Reality. All of the talks and panels feature world-class speakers and respected industry professionals. 

To help foster Canadian gaming industry connections and discover new business opportunities, preeminent event platform provider, MeetToMatch, will be on-hand to deliver targeted networking and business-to-business experiences.

The Summit will also provide a business lounge, Canada’s largest game showcase, and an Esports Lounge presented by Encore. 

The XP Game Developer Summit is the centre point of a perfect storm of game industry events. In partnership with XP Gaming, the Level Up Showcase takes place April 19th and will feature games designed by post-secondary students from across Ontario. On April 20th, Interactive Ontario is hosting the IO Connect Evening Networking Mixer for Interactive Ontario members, select XP pass holders, and special guests. The Canadian Game Awards will celebrate Canada’s spot on the world stage as a leader in interactive entertainment on April 20-21st. 

Tickets are still available on XPGameSummit.com with seven pass options available, ranging from $60 for a single-day Game Showcase Pass up to $600 for an all-access VIP Business Pass. The full schedule of the event is also now available here. 

For more information and updates on all XP Gaming events please visit the summit’s official website, or follow XP Gaming on the platform of your choice: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

XP Game Developer Summit Toronto Media Kit – all logos and additional assets can be found here.

For media inquiries please contact:

Dave Throop
XP Gaming Inc.
Email: [email protected]

About XP Gaming Inc:

Founded in 2019, XP Gaming Inc is a world-class events provider, committed to connecting and growing the Canadian video game and esports industries through dedicated business conferences (XP Game Developer Summit Toronto and Vancouver), recruitment (XP Game Jobs), and education (XP Gaming Education) initiatives. XP Game Developer Summit fosters new and unprecedented business-building opportunities by delivering premium business-to-business experiences that bring together industry organisations, investors, world-class speakers and subject matter experts. Through XP Game Jobs, the company supports industry recruitment by connecting job seekers and recruiters with Career Day events as well as through a proprietary job platform. The XP Gaming Education initiative helps future professionals understand their career prospects and post-secondary academic options in the gaming and esports industries.