Strengthening Canada’s Interactive Digital Media Sector

Video Games, VR/AR/XR, Immersive Installations, Interactive Education Products
Download the 2025 IDM Profile report

Why IDM Matters

Interactive Digital Media (IDM) = Video Games, XR, Immersive, Interactive Education Products

Canada’s digital and cultural sovereignty

Ensuring cultural and economic sovereignty in the Digital and Creative Sector by recognizing the economic importance of Canada’s creative industries and creators.

IDM creates well paying, future-facing careers

IDM provides some of today’s most in-demand, well-paying jobs and transferable skills —from video games to animation to XR + AI—helping build sustainable careers in a fast-evolving industry.

A Platform for Education and Canadian IP

As a platform for education and creative storytelling, IDM empowers companies and studios to embrace emerging technologies like AI while creating homegrown IP.

Employs more than many traditional industries

With a total employment impact of over 50,140 and the home to IP that is used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, the sector is a major economic and IP driver.

Key Facts:

  • 937 IDM companies across Canada (1200+ including new micro-startups)
  • 37,850 full-time equivalent jobs (50,140 including direct + indirect employment)
  • $5.5 billion annual contribution to Canada’s GDP
  • 88% of IDM revenue comes from exports
  • Average annual salary: $103,000
  • 89% of Canadian youth engage with interactive media

Our Priorities

  • Integrate Interactive Digital Media into cultural, innovation, and economic policy
  • Double CMF funding for IDM to $100M to reflect growth potential
  • Increase export and discoverability support for Canadian IDM content globally

  • Establish a $2B Innovation Fund to invest in Canadian intellectual property, support the AI transition of the sector, and digital storytelling technologies.

Member Associations

La Guilde is the largest group of game studios in Canada, uniting Québec’s video game ecosystem with a focus on growth, collaboration, and export.
La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec
DigiBC supports the growth and competitiveness of British Columbia’s digital media and creative technology sectors, including video games, animation, and XR.
DigiBC
Interactive Ontario represents Ontario’s IDM creators, advocating for funding, policy, and talent development in games, XR, eLearning, and more.
Interactive Ontario
New Media Manitoba accelerates the development of IDM companies and talent across Manitoba through training, business support, and community building.
New Media Manitoba
XN Québec brings together Québec’s producers of immersive and interactive experiences, promoting creativity, diversity, and international visibility.
XN Québec
Sask Interactive promotes the growth of Saskatchewan’s IDM industry by supporting creators, entrepreneurs, and digital innovators throughout the province.
Sask Interactive
The Interactive Society of Nova Scotia advocates for local IDM talent and industry growth through networking, training, and provincial partnerships.
ISNS
Videogames PEI fosters the growth of PEI’s video game development sector by connecting studios, supporting education, and attracting new talent.
Videogames PEI
Digital Alberta champions innovation and industry collaboration across Alberta’s interactive digital media and emerging technology communities.
Digital Alberta
Interactive NB supports New Brunswick’s IDM industry through collaboration, funding access, and community development for studios and digital creators.
Interactive NB

Let’s build Canada’s digital future-with Canadian stories, platforms, and IP leading the way

A national not-for-profit organization that serves as the collective voice of Canada’s interactive digital media (IDM) sector.

Quick Links

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Partners
  • Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC)
  • Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
Get In Touch

For all inquiries related to policy, partnerships, media, or general information, please contact:

Noah Decter-Jackson
Executive Director, CIAIC
Email: noah@ciaic.ca

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