Sign on Options
Theme:
To Dark

American developer count stalls as Canada's explodes

Census of game makers finds slight growth in US industry for 2009 while northern neighbor's creation community jumps 31%.

Despite a year riddled with layoffs, closures, and cutbacks, the American game developer community actually expanded in 2009, according to a report from Game Developer Research. The group's third annual census found a bump of less than 1 percent in the number of people employed in the US gaming industry, while its Canadian counterpart enjoyed an employment surge of more than 31 percent for 2009.

"US gaming headcount flat year-over-year? I demand a recount!"

According to the report, cutbacks in many sectors of the US gaming industry were offset by a crop of new social and online gaming studios. In 2008, the census found the US gaming industry employed about 44,400 people, while this year's tally edged upward to 44,806. California represents nearly half of that total with 20,815 gaming employees, followed by Washington (more than 4,500 employed) and Texas (2,600). Five other states also boasted development communities over 1,000 people.

As for Canada, the census showed new studios cropping up, as well as expansion of major company's existing studios. With growing development scenes in Vancouver and Montreal, as well as a fledgling community in Toronto, Canada's developer base jumped from 9,500 in 2008 to 12,480 in 2009.

More on the survey from Game Developer Research can be found on the group's official site.

75 Comments

  • MatzeEdend

    Posted Jan 6, 2010 3:07 pm GMT

    Well what else are we going to do while we're snowed in?

  • Jak_Napier

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 6:01 pm GMT

    Go Canada,

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 4:24 am GMT

    yeah - but you can't say c*** in Canada

  • grasshopper6

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 9:59 pm GMT

    Canada, well it's not far if need to find job

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 3:37 am GMT

    wow, gamespot dont only fuel ps3 v xbox, they also do america v canada.

    i wonder whats next.....

  • DPX-360

    Posted Dec 29, 2009 7:09 pm GMT

    Canada FTW dudes.

  • bignick217

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 9:50 am GMT

    Most of EA's games are crap. Most of the good games that come out of EA are actually made by outside developers and only published by EA... Such as Bioware (Mass Effect and Dragon Age) and Crytek (Crysis). The last "good" game I played that was actually developed by EA was Dead Space. Other than that, I rarely have any praise for EA. Especially after they've butchered the Need for Speed series (The last good one was Most Wanted) and the Medal of Honor Series (Airborne was a disaster). And the draconian methods of DRM they adopted over the years is also far from praiseworthy. Thank you to all the people who decided teach EA a lesson they'll never forget with Spore. They are now finally pulling away from those harsh DRM methods. Plus it made for a great section in my report for university analyzing DRM methods. Ubisoft has a far better track record than EA, but they've been slipping the last couple years with dissappointments from games like FarCry 2 (I was really disappointed with this game) and the new Prince of Persia (Nowhere near as good as previous gens), but I think they may redeem themselves with the upcoming Splinter Cell Conviction. Looks really good. But we'll see. However, I did enjoy Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. Better than I thought it would be. With all this negativity towards EA, I'll throw them a bone. Their EA Sports division is generally quite good. Although I wish they would bring back MVP Baseball and release it on the PC as well as consoles again. I loved the MVB Baseball games.

  • jtthegame316

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 6:43 am GMT

    LuongoRox1 thumbs up to ubisoft buy thumbs down to ea because they suck more oftern than not.

  • ploomp89

    Posted Dec 27, 2009 1:50 am GMT

    lawl

  • LuongoRox1

    Posted Dec 26, 2009 2:53 pm GMT

    Ubisoft and EA ftw.

  • Gammet25

    Posted Dec 26, 2009 2:33 am GMT

    You cant handle the truth.

  • AdjacentLives

    Posted Dec 25, 2009 1:59 am GMT

    Cool stuff, glad Gamespot is is here to relay this info to me.

  • aura_enchanted

    Posted Dec 24, 2009 11:21 pm GMT

    list of major candian developers/publishers or branches:
    Bioware
    Very big games (freelancer, heroes of might & magic)
    EA games
    activision
    capcom moblie (cellphone games division of capcom)
    Dreamcatcher games (painkiller)
    Silicon knights (too human)
    eidos montreal
    ubisoft canada
    wicked studios (dawn of heroes)

  • aura_enchanted

    Posted Dec 24, 2009 11:10 pm GMT

    @ neckron.. no you wont.. no you wont.

  • joksterz78

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 8:21 pm GMT

    Nerkcon, what will it be called, I might send ya a resume and portfolio.

  • Nerkcon

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 5:51 pm GMT

    Good news! I plan to start my game studio in Canada (or join one there). Now I just hope I can stand the cold...

  • mbarnard

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 4:31 pm GMT

    @oneligas

    You're not too bright are you? Perhaps you should check out what the Ubisoft Montreal studio has released:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft_Montreal

    (hint Montreal is in Quebec)

  • Barighm

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 3:27 pm GMT

    It's because of huge government tax breaks and subsidies directed specifically at game development studios (source: hours of segments, research, and direct quotes from people like our finance minister and the CEO of Ubisoft Montreal presented on BNN). I don't know why the Canadian government suddenly wants video games developed here, but that's what's going on. It's just too bad the new studio in Toronto is turning up their noses at anybody who doesn't have at least 10 years of experience in the industry.

  • DamnedApples

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 1:45 pm GMT

    "Blame Canada, blame Canada!"

  • oneligas posted Dec 23, 2009 1:12 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    oneligas

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 1:12 pm GMT (hide)

    i just hope those Canadian developers don't come from Quebec, games in all french would just be annoying

  • Dr_Bob_UK

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:13 pm GMT

    @jaredcrazy3232:

    SPY

  • Adam_the_Nerd

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 11:44 am GMT

    Yes. Maybe now we won't be excluded from American gaming prices and contests? heh

  • lightwarrior179

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 11:21 am GMT

    BioWare WOOTZ!!

  • namdar

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 10:37 am GMT

    GO CANADA WHOOO!!!

  • gsnmaster

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 10:33 am GMT

    Seeing how Bioware started in Edmonton Alberta, I'm not surprised.

  • HeeroYuy0905

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 10:25 am GMT

    @The_Dude1212

    I understand that your educational system must be bankrupt, but a hat goes on the head, not anywhere below the waist. So if Canada's is the hat, the US is the head.

  • Blabadon

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 8:36 am GMT

    USA GOT Naughty Dog BABY!
    as furi-kun would have said: BOOSH!

  • atopp399

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 8:33 am GMT

    As long as the US is staying steady then I am happy. Big bubbles always burst eventually. Steady, slow increases will have a better chance to last. Also, I would much rather people in Canada be employed than having the jobs sent to China or India.

    What part of anatomy is Florida to Canada?

  • megamega777

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 8:11 am GMT

    +1 for Bioware, Rockstar and Ubisoft!

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 8:06 am GMT

    Whoever decided on that picture for the article deserves a raise.

    Glad to see the Great White North doing well. Vancouver is arguably the greatest city in North America, and I say that as an arrogant New Yorker. Viva Canada...they've got BioWare, Digital Leisure (old school!), the guys who did Prototype, The Adventure Company, and even Jade Raymond. Quite a coup.

  • cybrcatter

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 7:07 am GMT

    US poking fun at Canada, and vise versa is great fun since nothing is personal. It's like calling your buddy a fat-a$& when he puts whipped cream on top of cool-whip on top of double chocolate pudding. Its hilarious to both of you, even if he really is dangerously obese. The rest of the world is like your woman: if you see her eating something less than healthy, you stay quite, look the other way, and pretend that nothing ever happened.

  • The_Dude1212

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 5:02 am GMT

    @Tripwolf

    If Canada is your hat, then you American's must be our underwear and sock on ear.

  • phattgurl

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 2:34 am GMT

    cuz he is the count and he demands a recount

  • Raizer-Sabre

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:56 am GMT

    why is there a pic of a muppet? o.0 hardly related to anything lol

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:38 am GMT

    @xaos lol no you are right, at least you don't think we say "aboot" or "eh" after every word. sorry is something that is said alot. lol sorry to the haters.

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:32 am GMT

    @ Ryking Bioware is Canadian.. well it was before EA bought it, but it is based in deadmonton.

  • jaredcrazy3232

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:30 am GMT

    No all the big players are here, the reason why Montreal is successful for Ubi-soft because of the bilingualism and all of the Universities spewing new tallent. Vancouver has the population, universities and proximity to the developers in California and Washington, plus it is a single flight over to Japan. also Vancouver is considered "Hollywood of the North" because of all of the filming there. so you have the media companies already there as well.

  • shadowysea07

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:26 am GMT

    agrees with lilmp. as long as good games come out doesn't matter where their from.

  • lilmp89

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:23 am GMT

    Don't care where you are as long as you're makin great games =)

  • Ryking

    Posted Dec 23, 2009 12:02 am GMT

    I think branches of Bioware and Rockstar are in Canada as well

  • Miroku_of_Nite1 posted Dec 22, 2009 10:20 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Miroku_of_Nite1

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 10:20 pm GMT (hide)

    Isn't most of Canada's game development just branches of Ubisoft?

  • nickythenewt21

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 10:18 pm GMT

    That's really great for Canada! I love Canada; it's like America, except nicer.

  • green_dominator

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 9:38 pm GMT

    I guess that's good news.....Yeah but how strong is the industry? How many more companies will be absorbed into Activision or EA? How many more of them will lose it all??
    Who the heck knows.......

  • themyth01

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 9:00 pm GMT

    It was probably a decline by comparison of last year's growth over the year before that one. Outsourcing and layoffs definitely don't help things. I hope things get better soon, developers work pretty hard.

  • akiwak

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 8:53 pm GMT

    Gaming continues to grow! Always good news!

  • Tripwolf posted Dec 22, 2009 8:12 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Tripwolf

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 8:12 pm GMT (hide)

    Canada is basically America anyways. They're our hat.

  • Colin1192

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 7:49 pm GMT

    better tax breaks = more video game development in Canada = yay

  • jasonbarbour

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 7:11 pm GMT

    I thought we would have more in N. Carolina... dont we have Epic Games and a few other smaller companies as well as a new Insomiac branch... wouldve thought thouse would put us up there... how many people work at one studio and what do those numbers include as "employed by the game industy" ... is that just programmers etc. or do they include everyone from the janitors on up... also it probably dosent take into account supplamentary employement from work contracted out, not necessarily employes but they do some work in games and get paid for it by game studios, such as the music from an orchestra or choir... i dont know... I just would have expected more than around 45,000 people (based on the credits of just one game lol) How many ppl does the movie industy employ as a point of comparison?

  • MrHatnClogs

    Posted Dec 22, 2009 6:52 pm GMT

    So it's the Count who keeps track of the game industry statistics!

Subscribe to GameSpot's YouTube Channel

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!