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2024 CANADA RANKING: WHAT ARE THE BEST GAME SCHOOLs?
2024 CANADA RANKING: WHAT ARE THE BEST GAME SCHOOLs?
MEGAMIGS (2019)
An attractive country
An attractive country
Canada is home to a thriving video game industry.
With nearly 30,000 people working there, Canada has become a major industry stronghold over the past 15 years. Montreal especially has a growing number of large and indie studios.
Over 200 studios and 50 schools examined in our rankings
Over 200 studios and 50 schools examined in our rankings
As with the US ranking, Canada required the careful analysis of more than 2,000 alumni profiles from some 50 schools.
The result is a precise overview of their studies and their careers in more than 200 video game studios.
☆ TOP 5 CANADiAn Game Schools ☆
☆ TOP 5 CANADiAn Game Schools ☆
Mentioning a school ranked beyond the 5th place is a service we offer
TOP 5 STUDIOs
TOP 5 STUDIOs
for hiring young talent in Canada
for hiring young talent in Canada
☆ game schools top 5 CANADA ☆
☆ game schools top 5 CANADA ☆
#1 école NAD-UQAC
#1 école NAD-UQAC
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
400 total students
Public
Tuition & fees (2020): $20,272
The NAD-UQAC School, Ecole Nationale d'Art Numérique, de l'Animation et du Design, created in 1992 and affiliated with the UQAC, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, since 2008, offers four video game training courses focused on game design and game art.
ACADEMICS:
Bachelor's Degree in 3D Animation and Digital Design [90 credits]
Certificate in 3D Animation and Digital Design [30 credits]
Master's Degree in Art (Digital Design) [45 credits]
DESS, Postgraduate Diploma Specialized in Narrative Video Game Design [30 credits]
GAME PROTOTYPES AND COMPETITIONS:
Flickering Shadows (2023). Third-person arcade game in which the player embodies a little girl adventuring in a dark dungeon.
L'île Archéo (2023). Serious game about ecology and archaeology set on a strange island.
RECRUITMENT:
The main NAD-UQAC recruiters since 2019 are:
Ubisoft Montréal
Behaviour Interactive (Montréal)
Nesting Games (Québec)
Red Barrels (Montréal)
Felix & Paul Studios (Montréal)
Haven Studios Inc (Montréal)
Gearbox Studio Québec
Artifact 5 (Montréal)
*
Since 2019, the majority of graduates from the NAD-UQAC school who have entered the video game industry hold predominantly artistic roles (82%). Within this group, the most common professions are 3D Artist (23%) and Visual Effects Artist (19%).
#2 Isart digital
#2 Isart digital
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal, Quebec
250 total students
Private
Tuition & fees (2024):
Bachelor 13 550$CAD / year
Master 13 950$CAD / year
ACADEMICS:
Master’s in Game Programming (4 years)
AEC (Attestation d'Étude Collégiale) in Game Programming
(2 years)Bachelor’s in Tech Game Art (4 years)
AEC in Tech Game Art (2 years)
Master’s in Game Design (4 years)
AEC in Game Design (2 years)
Game Data Analyst (1 year)
GAME PROTOTYPES AND COMPETITIONS:
Echo (2023). 3D Open World narrative & adventure game in a stylized fantasy universe.
Prune (2023) 3D narrative Puzzle game,
RECRUITMENT:
The main Isart Digital's recruiters since 2019 are:
Nvizzio Creations Inc. (Montréal)
Behaviour Interactive (Montréal)
Eidos-Montréal
Ubisoft Montréal and Quebec City
Metric Empire (Montréal)
Breaking Walls (Montréal)
*
Since 2019, the majority of graduates from Isart Digital Montréal who have entered the video game industry hold primarily artistic positions (56%). Among these, the most represented roles are 3D Artist (27%) and Visual Effects Artist (8%).
#3 VFS, Vancouver Film School
#3 VFS, Vancouver Film School
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver, BC
1,000 students across eight campuses in Vancouver, BC
Campus of Shanghai-Vancouver Film School in Shanghai since 2014.
Private school founded in 1987
Tuition fee (2024) : diploma in Game Design CA$49,750 (12 months)
The Vancouver Film School (VFS) introduced one of the first game design programs in North America in 2004. Offering one-year post-secondary education with over 1400 hours, these programs are both intensive and comprehensive.
ACADEMICS:
Among the 12 digital career-focused programs offered by VFS, one is specifically concentrated on Game Design, leading to a diploma in Game Design.
GAME PROTOTYPES AND COMPETITIONS:
With around twenty video game projects published each year, VFS is one of the most productive schools.
OOAngel (2023). Third-person online cover-shooter.
Red-Road (2023). Third & First Person Cooperative Vehicle-Based Horror-Shooter.
RECRUITMENT:
The main VFS's recruiters since 2019 are:
Electronic Arts (EA) (Vancouver)
Keywords Studios (Vancouver)
The Coalition Studio (Vancouver)
SkyBox Labs (BC)
Blackbird Interactive (Vancouver)
Next Level Games (Vancouver)
East Side Games (Vancouver)
Kabam (Vancouver)
VFS graduates who have entered the video game industry since 2019 hold artistic roles in half of the cases (49%). Among these, the most represented professions are 3D Artists (12%) and Visual Effects Artists (7%). The proportion of Sound Designers (25%) is one of the highest encountered in the schools reviewed by GAMEducation.
#4 Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
#4 Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville, Ontario
23,000 total students
Public
Tuition & fees (2020): $1,350/year
ACADEMICS:
Honours Bachelor of Game Design (4 years)
Honours Bachelor of Computer Science (4 years), with specialization in either Cloud Computing, Data Analytics or Game Engineering
Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Technology - Software Development and Network Engineering (3 years)
Certificate of Game Development - Advanced Programming (1 year)
Graduate certificate of Game Level Design (1 year)
Post-grad certificate of Computer Animation (1 year)
GAME PROTOTYPES AND COMPETITIONS:
Circuit Breakout (2023). Third-person puzzle game made in Bachelor of Game Design.
Corpobots (2023). Multiplayer action party game for 4 players made in Bachelor of Game Design.
RECRUITMENT:
The main Sheridan College's recruiters since 2019 are:
Ubisoft Toronto
Electronic Arts (EA) (BC)
Gameloft Toronto
Arbelos Interactive (ON)
Behaviour Interactive (QC)
Zynga Toronto
Lucky VR (ON)
Digital Extremes (ON)
Sledgehammer Games Toronto
Since 2019, half of the graduates from Sheridan College have been occupying artistic roles (50%). Among these, the most represented professions are 3D Artist (11%) and Visual Effects Artist (10%). The proportion of Audio Designers (6%) is notably high compared to other schools.
#5 Uqat, université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
#5 Uqat, université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec
1,456 total students
Public
Tuition & fees (2020): $17,430
ACADEMICS:
Bachelor's Degree in Video Game Creation
Bachelor's Degree in Digital Creation
Bachelor's Degree in 3D Creation
Master's Degree in Digital Creation
3D Creation Certificate
Certificate in Digital Creation
GAME PROTOTYPES AND COMPETITIONS:
Nuclear Rollout (2023). Third-person arcade game. Winner of the Best Game Design and Best Quality of the '3Cs' at the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition 2023.
Soul Shaper (2023). Dynamic arcade game. Winner of the Best Prototype and Creativity and Theme Integration at the Ubisoft Game Lab Competition 2023.
RECRUITMENT:
The main UQAT's recruiters since 2019 are:
Ubisoft Quebec City, Montréal and Saguenay
Beenox [Activision Publishing Inc] (QC)
Eidos-Montréal
WB Games Montreal Inc.
Borealys Games Inc
Behaviour Interactive (QC)
Lucid Tales
Graduates of UQAT who have entered the video game industry since 2019 predominantly hold artistic positions (55%); among them, the most represented roles are that of 3D Artist (24%) and Visual Effects Artist (8%).
The proportion of Game Designers remains significant (36%).
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