6 WAYS TORONTO DEFINES CANADA’S ESPORTS SCENE 1 Toronto Video Game Month 2025: A citywide celebration Toronto’s inaugural Video Game Month transformed the city into a mid-summer showcase of gaming culture and innovation. The festival featured more than 40 events, from global esports tournaments like VALORANT Masters to indie-focused Toronto Games Week. Highlights included the XP Game Summit, Toronto Tech Week with 15,000+ attendees and the VRTO Spatial Media World Conference, showcasing extended reality experiences. 2 A global tech powerhouse Toronto’s $2-billion creative technology sector is anchored by video game production. The city is home to 24,000 tech companies, 270+ video game studios and 7,000 skilled game professionals. The Big Five—Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microso. —maintain offi ces here. Toronto’s offi cial esports strategy underscores a long-term commitment, signalling North America’s third-largest entertainment cluster is 100% invested in event success. 3 Proven esports hosting power Toronto has earned its place on the global esports stage, hosting marquee events including the Overwatch League (OWL) Grand Finals 2023 (the fi rst outside the U.S.), NXNE Music & Gaming Festival, Pokemon Regional Championships, Get On My Level (GOML) Forever, Toronto Game Expo 2025, Call of Duty League Toronto Ultra Major III and the Bell Esports Challenge during Fan Expo Canada. “ Riot Games didn’t just get a host venue; VALORANT Masters was full-in community involvement.” —Scott Ventresca, Sales Director, Destination Toronto TORONTO CANADA’S ESPORTS CAPITAL Toronto is Canada’s go-to destination for competitive gaming. The city is unmatched when it comes to esports-ready venues, outstanding talent and a thriving fan base. Home to global game developers like Ubiso. , Zynga and Rockstar, and deeply connected to AR, VR and AI innovation, it’s clear that Toronto doesn’t just host esports, it’s shaping the future. A GAMER- FRIENDLY DESTINATION Toronto, Canada's largest and most visited city, off ers: • Two international airports connecting 200 destinations • 36,000 hotel rooms • 200+ state-of-the-art event venues • World-class dining, nightlife and easy transit HOW CANADA’S VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY DRIVES IMPACT $5.1B total Canadian GDP 34,010 direct full-time professionals $102,000 average employee salary 34 years average worker age 15.2M active fans by 2029* Sources: Entertainment So. ware Association of Canada; *Statista 22 ADRENALIN | FALL 2025 ADRENALINMAG.CA SPONSORED FEATURE
