• The Entertainment Software Association of Canada did major market research, releasing a comprehensive report on the industry in 2018.
• According to this report, 61% of Canadians define themselves as a "gamer" (up by 28%). The average age of a Canadian gamer is 39 and the split is equal between men and women.
• According to Statista, that average age has grown significantly from 31 in 2012.
•  Male millennials are the most likely demographic to player single player shooter games like Assassin's Creed and Fortnight. Competitive gamers are the most likely to own (and play on) a console.
•  77% of those who play shooter games play online. 87% of them also play with friends.
• The second-most likely to play this style of game are male Gen Xers. They, however, play evenly online and offline with their games, but still 81% play with friends (similar to male millennials).
• Gamers who play these types of games are highly likely to also watch Twitch/Youtube videos of other gamers, streaming services and workout/exercise.
• Canadian men are more likely to own a console than women.
• More recently, Mintel found that 96% of men aged 18-34 in Canada play video games.
• 25-34 year olds also spent the most on gaming subscriptions, in-game purchases and downloads in 2018, followed by 18-24 year olds.
• The fastest growing genre in Canada is family-oriented video games.
• More parents are playing video games with their children/family.
• Free-to-play games like Fortnite are leading the explosively-growing social gaming trend.
• One interesting trend poised to effect Canada is the growing competition in online game stores. A major title, Deep Exodus, announced it was not launching on major platform Steam, moving to its rival, Exodus.
• The Canadian Media Fund has an article about how video game streaming is affecting the industry. This makes sense, as Mintel found that 56% of 18-24 year olds specifically seek out video game videos.
• Chinese Canadians play video games at a higher rate than other ethnicities, 80%, compared to 64% of all Canadians.
• One expert writes that many in the industry believed single-player games were dying, yet the success of recent titles like God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man are proving that smart, well done single player games definitely have their place.
• Similarly, another expert agrees. Single player games still have their place, but they need to be "really good" in order to succeed. Sekiro and Red Dead Redemption 2 are AAA single player games that did extremely well.
• Interestingly, a key takeaway from 2018 was that live-service video games (like Fortnite) have similar challenges to single player games. "Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War were so successful in 2018 at least partially because they could coexist with Fortnite...If you make a live service that’s almost as good as Fortnite, you can’t get Fortnite players, because they’re still playing Fortnite. Single-player games may be a risk in the marketplace, but there is a path to success for them. In live services, you have to kill the king if you want to be the king (or find an entirely new kingdom). Eventually, someone will take the crown and the billions of dollars in revenue that come with it, and that’s why everybody is chasing it."
• The author feels that the market can support more single player games, since they are finite and can easily co-exist with each other AND online games, but that the market cannot support as many online games as it is seeing and there will be casualties.

PROPRIETARY RESEARCH AVAILABLE

• We found some proprietary research from one of our data partners which may be helpful:
• Video Games in Canada (Euromonitor, $990)
• If you'd like us to purchase this report on your behalf, just let us know!