sim·plic·i·ty
1. the state, quality or an instance of being easy to understand
2. freedom from complexity
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Gamers are a borderless audience. Advertising across PlayStation, Xbox, Twitch, IGN and in-game environments in Canada, internationally — reaching gaming audiences where social media simply cannot follow. Proven experience with global publishers and indie launches alike.
Gaming is no longer a niche medium. In Canada, it is one of the country's largest entertainment sectors — bigger than cinema — and it reaches audiences across every demographic that social media increasingly struggles to access cost-effectively.
23 million Canadians play video games — representing 61% of all adults and over half the total population. Canadian gamers spend an average of 7 hours per week gaming, with mobile gaming growing 18% year-on-year. 54% of Canadian gamers play daily or weekly, making this one of the most habitual and engaged entertainment audiences in the country.
For advertisers, gaming represents access to a genuinely captive, highly engaged audience in environments that most media plans completely ignore. Global in-game advertising is forecast to grow at 9% annually through 2030, and Canadian brands are significantly under-invested relative to where their audiences spend their time.
Gaming advertising is not one channel — it is an ecosystem. PlayStation Network, Xbox, Twitch, IGN, in-game placements and gaming publisher display each reach different audience segments in fundamentally different mindsets and contexts. We start with the audience, not the platform: who are you trying to reach, where are they in the gaming ecosystem, and which formats will reach them in the highest-attention state?
We buy direct where it generates better value — PSN and Xbox direct relationships give access to first-party console audience data and premium placement positions that programmatic routes don't always match. For in-game placements and gaming publisher display, we use programmatic DSP routes where they extend reach efficiently. Twitch is bought directly via Amazon Ads for brand-safe, premium streaming inventory.
Campaigns run on a fortnightly performance review cycle — completion rates, viewability, post-impression site visits and, where relevant, downstream conversion. Creative rotation is built into the brief from day one: gaming audiences develop ad fatigue faster than most, and fresh creative is a core part of campaign maintenance. We report against what matters to you, in plain English, without the jargon.
PlayStation Network is one of the most premium advertising environments in gaming — reaching PS4 and PS5 owners at every touchpoint of the console experience. Dashboard advertising appears at the moment players power on, before they enter any game. In-game display formats reach players within specific titles. The PS Store reaches audiences at the point of active purchase intent.
Xbox advertising reaches players across Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and via Game Pass — Microsoft's subscription gaming platform with tens of millions of active subscribers. The Xbox ecosystem also connects to PC gaming through Microsoft's unified platform, extending gaming ad reach beyond console to Windows PC. Dashboard placements reach players at session start; in-game formats reach them mid-engagement.
Twitch is the world's dominant gaming live-stream platform — with over 1.5 million active Canadian users and 70% of the global audience aged 18–34. Canadian users are among the most engaged, spending an average of 95 minutes per day on the platform — longer than most digital channels. Advertising reaches an audience actively choosing to watch gaming content, creating a high-attention, community-anchored environment that is uniquely receptive to brand messaging aligned with their interests. Learn more at Twitch Creator Camp.
IGN is one of the world's most visited gaming media destinations — reaching millions of Canadian readers and viewers actively researching game purchases, following esports and consuming gaming news and reviews. Gaming publisher display advertising places brands alongside content that audiences are actively seeking out, in a high-trust editorial environment. Also covers GamesRadar, Fandom, and other specialist gaming titles with strong Canadian readership.
In-game advertising places brand creatives within the game environment itself — on virtual billboards, stadium hoardings, loading screens and native in-game surfaces. Research from Anzu and Lumen shows that in-game ads generate more attention than Facebook and Instagram in-feed formats, with 6 in 10 players reporting they are likely to make a purchase after seeing a relevant in-game ad. Available across mobile, console and PC titles.
Over half of Canadian internet users play games on their smartphones — the largest single gaming audience by device. Mobile gaming advertising spans interstitial video, rewarded video (where players opt in to watch an ad in exchange for in-game rewards), playable ads and display placements. Rewarded video achieves the highest completion rates in mobile advertising — audiences actively choose to engage.
Canadians play video games — representing 61% of all adults and more than half the total population. Gaming in Canada is bigger than cinema by total audience.
Average time Canadian adults spend gaming every week — a significant and largely untapped advertising opportunity that most media plans continue to ignore entirely.
Of Canadian gamers play daily or weekly — making gaming one of the most habitual entertainment activities in the country, more consistent than cinema, live sport and streaming combined.
Forecast global in-game advertising spend by 2030, growing at 9% annually. Canadian brands investing now build competitive capability before the channel reaches full maturity.
We managed the pan-European media launch for a major global gaming title across five markets — planning and buying digital and OOH across five European markets. The campaign reached 44 million gamers and delivered 154 million impressions across a coordinated multi-market plan. The work required deep knowledge of gaming audiences across different European markets and the ability to plan across channels that most agencies treat separately.
| In-game programmatic display CPM | $5–$15 CAD |
| Rewarded video CPM (opt-in, high completion) | $15–$30 CAD |