Name: Quebec’s video game industry threatened by potential government cuts
Uploaded: 2025-11-17T02:51:03.870Z
Duration: 2 min 47 s
Description: While the province is seen internationally as a significant video game development player — and Canada’s $5-billion industry overall is benefiting from global political trends — industry leaders in Quebec say there are still sources of uncertainty affecting business and talent.

While the province is seen internationally as a significant video game development player — and Canada’s $5-billion industry overall is benefiting from global political trends — industry leaders in Quebec say there are still sources of uncertainty affecting business and talent.

Quebec

Quebec's video game industry, recognized as a significant force in Canada's economic landscape, is currently facing challenges due to recent government cutbacks on multimedia tax credits. These reductions have made it more expensive for companies—especially smaller, independent studios—to operate in the province. 

Industry experts at the Montreal International Game Summit highlighted Quebec's strong talent pool and global reputation, but emphasized that financial stability remains a concern. Stakeholders continue to urge the government to recognize the sector's importance and provide the necessary support to maintain its international competitiveness.

Quebec’s video game industry threatened by potential government cuts

Videogame experts, entrepreneurs and developers from around the world were at the Montreal International Game Summit this week, and Elizabeth Astwood is one of them. She's the founder of Studio Lazalite, a studio that offers design services to independent videogame developers. Astwood says Quebec is a powerhouse in videogame production, so setting up shop in Montreal was a no-brainer. I knew that Montreal had an amazing indie game scene, and so I came, I met some people, I've made fantastic connections, and without that community, I think I'd be in a completely different place. I wouldn't be making games at all. The videogaming industry remains a key contributor to the Canadian economy. According to a report published by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, there are over 800 active videogame studios across the country. In 2024, the videogaming industry contributed a total of $5.1 billion towards Canada's GDP. That's a 3% increase as opposed to 2021. Industry experts say that Canada's gaming industry is also gaining international interest because of the current political situation in the United States. We are seeing the landscape of global politics change in the last year, and more people are paying attention to what does this mean for Canada, what are the opportunities in Canada, and Canada is also being a little bit louder and saying, you know, we're open for business, there's a lot of opportunities here, and people are taking note of that and coming to see what's going on. Another thing that sets Canada apart? Jason Lepine says it comes down to skill. There are new markets opening all over the world that are looking to Canadian talent and expertise to guide the ship on how do we make games for the modern age, 2025, 2026, and that's really what we see people relying on Canada for. Jean-Jacques Hermans says competitive training programs and job opportunities have made Quebec an especially attractive market. Our young people, I want to say, are able to say, well, OK, I want to work here in Quebec, I studied in Quebec, I have a dream, I want to do something, I can be trained here in Quebec, I can work in an independent studio, 10 people or less, or I can work with Ubisoft, you know, at 5,000 people, a studio, so what's my dream? But stability is still an issue for the gaming industry in Quebec. In 2024, the province cut back on its multimedia tax credit, making it more expensive for companies to operate in the province, with smaller, independent companies taking the biggest hit. Interestingly enough, it's about financing, right? Not a surprise, but over the past 12, 15 months, obviously, we've had a lot of discussions with the government. What I'm saying is, I'm telling government, this is a very important industry in Canada and specifically in Quebec. Hermans says the global gaming industry is taking notice of Canada's success, and he's hoping political support will follow.

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