CANADA’S ESPORTS ECOSYSTEM
Many Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto are also known as rapidly developing eSports ecosystems. Other major centers are also actively getting in on the game. Where Vancouver led the way in establishing an ecosystem with the first eSports hub in Canada, other major regions are similarly working hard to meet the rising demand.
On the events and platforms side, Canada has also become a regular stop on the international eSports circuit, with the capacity to host top-tier events. The three major eSports arenas in Canada include The Gaming Stadium in Richmond, British Columbia, Esports Central in Montreal, Quebec and Amuka Esports in Toronto, Ontario.
In February 2021, OverActive Media announced plans to build a brand new eSports and entertainment venue comprising 7,000-seats at Toronto by the year 2025. The 7,000-seat facility in the heart of Exhibition Place will be the official home of OverActive Media’s eSports teams and serve as the ultimate venue for a range of live entertainment events. It is also being built future-ready, says Mr. Overholt. Various relative international expos and events have already been held across the country.
The Future of Esports in Canada
Canada’s online gaming ecosystem has grown quite exponentially, with 61% of Canadians people actively gaming in 2020, the eSports industry in Canada has been on the rise, ever since. Within the eSports industry, the media rights sector is anticipated to more than double by 2022. Expected to produce a whopping USD $2.8 billion in revenues by 2023. The future of eSports in this country looks bright.
Canadians are also prone to getting their game on in online casinos for real money in Canada. In continuance of this trend, Canada’s E-sporting industry is only a droplet in the ocean of opportunity for gamers and business-oriented players. The rise of eSports in Canada is also due to the pandemic, as young adults, older adults and and teens alike increased their streaming of eSports during the lockdown periods. Reportedly, an increased number of teens were playing video games during the pandemic, which actually improved their mental and emotional health. Moreover, reportedly, the sales of consoles also rose. It’s safe to say that these trends are only expected to continue going into the future.
Undoubtedly, Canada has what it takes to build a thriving eSports industry. Where Canada’s success in this industry is clearly poised by eSports hubs, world-class game developers, eSports expertise, technology know-how, a thriving R&D environment and government support, there should be no question to investors, game publishers, brands and the media that the eSports scene is growing rapidly and significantly. There’s definitely no contest about the foreseeable fact that the industry will continue to drive billions of dollars.
The Who’s Who is Canadian eSports
The most popular eSports teams in Canada include Toronto Defiant, Luminosity Gaming, and Vancouver Titans. Professional sports teams and franchise owners are well aware of the potential that resides in the eSports industry. Many are rapidly entering the industry to create their own teams.
A host of top-tier professional talent across multiple titles come from Canada, thanks to its location that enables easy interaction with North American playerbases. According to esports analytics firm Newzoo, Canada is home to 1.5 million Canadians watching esports at least once per month. With that said, it’s clear that Canada constitutes an important Western esports market. With a number of major leagues and tournaments that take place in the country, Canadian cities are also represented in North American esports franchised leagues, including the Call of Duty Pro League (CDL) and the Overwatch League (OWL).
In Conclusion
Where Canada does have a long history and a strong reputation in the gaming industry is in the production and development of games themselves, as a matter of fact, it’s the third-largest producer of video games on earth, with the industry contributing $5.5-billion to the country’s GDP in 2021.
Based on the latest research, there are 5.7 million declared eSport fans in this country, with about 10 million declared NBA fans alone. With that said, constituents can look forward to a whole new way of enjoying the experience of a hockey or basketball game. Where the face of eSports is changing along with the evolution of technology, getting in on the action today means you’re not too late to miss a moment in this exciting time in the evolution of Canadian eSports.
This is a paid guest post.