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TV secret plan award time of year continue this weekend with theCanadian Game Awards , highlighting some of the very best contributions to the industry and its community in 2024 . hold up at the TIFF Lightbox in Toronto , the celebration will air on February 15 at 8 necropsy Eastern time , and fans who ca n’t attend in someone will be able tostream the ceremony online . The event will be host by Naomi Kyle , bang for her work with IGN andThe Daily Fix .
Canada is home to an telling set of game developers across the country , include AAA companies like BioWare and three Ubisoft studios in Montreal , Quebec , and Toronto , alongside indie powerhouses likeCuphead ’s Studio MDHR and1000xResist ’s Sunset Visitor . This year the CGAs will feature 16 award total across a myriad of categories , with a focus on esports and Canadian developers .
February 2025 has seen several game delayed to later in 2025 , but many more unbelievable games , like Civilization 7 , are coming in the next few workweek .
In be after for the event , where I ’m also serve as a judge again this year , I caught up with Carl - Edwin Michel to hash out how far the effect has evolved since its inception , the grandness of theCanadian Game Awards categories , and what fans can bear from the big retort of the event this weekend .
The Evolution Of The Canadian Game Awards
How The Event Has Changed & The Footprint Of Canada’s Gaming Industry
ScreenRant ’s Rob Keyes : Let ’s go back to the start - evidence me how the Canadian Game Awards came to be , since there have been other version in the past ?
The Canadian Game Awards were created in 2020 , following the cancellation of the Canadian Video Game Awards in 2016 . After speaking with several game studios , I realized there was a strong need to celebrate the industriousness , and they believed I was the right person to take on this challenge , give my experience producing the last three Canadian Video Game Awards from 2014 to 2016 .
The 2020 edition was originally contrive for March , but as we all know , the world was sour upside down that calendar month . We had to break and by and by return with a pre - recorded show , which continue for the next few years . After a challenging in - person return in 2023 , we take a fracture in 2024 . Now , in 2025 , we ’re back in full force .
Canada has a significant footmark in game growth - how authoritative is it to recognize Canada ’s contribution to gaming ?
It ’s implausibly important to celebrate our manufacture . Canada is one of the top country in the world for secret plan development , with incredible studios from glide to coast . We have some of the large AAA studios globally , but we also have a thriving indie scene . The games developed here — both the massive blockbusters and the small yet mighty titles — make a significant impact worldwide .
What Fans Can Expect From The Canadian Game Awards
Naomi Kyle, The Eh! Game Expo, & Partnership With TIFF Lightbox
Naomi Kyle is host this year ’s CGAs - how was she selected , and what does she bring in to the CGAs ?
Naomi was at the top of my list of dream hosts for the show . She has made her bull’s eye on the industry at an international level , having been a host at IGN for many years and continuing to be deeply call for in gaming . She currently hosts an excellent play podcast , This Week in Gaming . Like many of the awful game created in Canada , not everyone knows that Naomi is Canadian — and a Gallic Canadian at that ! So for me , let her as our host was a no - brainer , and I ’m tickle pink she take the invitation .
Alongside the Canadian Game Awards , there ’s also a gala during the mean solar day , loose for meeter . Tell us about this event and why local gamers should find out it out .
Yes , there is an exhibition during the day , which we call the Eh ! Game Expo — a fun nod to our Canadian indistinguishability . During the case , the general public will be capable to take on over 15 games developed by indie studios from across the country at TIFF Lightbox . It ’s a fantastic chance for developers to showcase their games and for attendees to discover incredible endowment andexciting newfangled titles .
This year ’s event is hold up at TIFF Lightbox and the CGAs have just signed a raft with them to be the home plate for the CGAs going forward . What can you tell us about this venue and partnership ?
This partnership is a game - changer for us . TIFF Lightbox provides a prestigious , recognisable locus in a prime Toronto location . It serves two key purposes : hosting the Eh ! Game Expo with great foot dealings and providing a beautiful place setting for the awards observance . This collaborationism gives us a home for the next few years , allowing the event to grow and evolve .
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The Challenges & Future Goals Of The Canadian Game Awards
The Role of Esports, Overcoming Hurdles, & New Beginnings
Esports are also recognized in the CGAs - why is esports an important element to you ?
Esports is one of the three tower of the gaming industry , alongside secret plan development and subject matter conception . These mainstay are even reflected in our trophy design — the social system symbolizes these essential part of the gaming ecosystem . Fun fact : the prize was design by Society Awards , the same company that created the original VGA trophy and even the Grammy Awards .
What ’s the greatest challenge in direct the CGAs , and what have you learned over the years running the show ?
One of our big challenges is ensuring that the oecumenical public knows about this event . This is n’t just for industry insiders to fete themselves — it ’s an chance to engage with gaming communities across Canada . Another challenge is relieve oneself the show sustainable . While we have incredible partners this class , we require to continue bringing in more resource to expand and improve the event . I have so many ideas to make this show even liberal , and we ’ll be looking for all the support we can get to make it one of the most significant gaming celebrations in the land — because it truly merit it .
What can meeter expect this year , and are devs from the nominees able to attend ?
This twelvemonth feels like a relaunch . Even though it ’s our 5th anniversary , in many ways , it feels like twelvemonth 1 . That ’s why we ’re take a look back — explore what makes this diligence so great , how it was built , who its innovator are , and where we ’re headed in the time to come . We ’re unbelievably lucky that most of the developer will be attending in person , and for those who ca n’t , someone will be there to take the trophy on their behalf .
We ’re looking frontwards to this show more than ever . This year , we ’re formally pose the foundation for the futurity of the Canadian Game Awards and the Eh ! Game Expo . in person , this is a 10 - twelvemonth vision for me , and I ’m committed to making it a durable winner .
In the interest of full revelation and transparency , ScreenRant confirm it is on the judging control board at Canadian Game Awards 2025 . Our editorial procedure is wholly disjoined from our donation to judgement , and as such , our panel inclusion does not compromise our journalistic wholeness .
Source : Canadian Game Awards
