Canadian video game developers looking to bring home a solid paycheque should have their joysticks pointed west.
The average annual salary for a full-time worker in B.C.’s video game sector last year was $84,4000 compared with $70,100 in Ontario and $66,200 in Quebec, according to a November 16 study from the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC).
And while B.C.’s video game sector experienced significant layoffs in the early part of the decade, the ESAC report revealed its fortunes moved up in 2014.
Full-time positions have grown 6% to 5,500 in B.C. since 2013, accounting for 27% of Canada’s video game industry.
Meanwhile, the industry delivered $576 million in annual expenditures throughout the province last year compared with $568 million in 2012.
Overall, ESAC found there were 472 active studios across the country, up from 329 in 2013.
B.C. was home to 128, or 27%, of all of Canada’s gaming studios.
