CMF, Creative BC allocate $1M to five video game studios
Toronto and Vancouver, March 13, 2025 — The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Creative BC (CrBC) today announced a joint $1M investment in five B.C.-based video game studios through the CMF-CrBC Video Games Business Development Program.
The selected companies for this edition of the program are:
- Codename Entertainment, from Victoria
- Hyper Hippo, from Kelowna
- Hololabs, from Victoria
- Maggie’s Farm, from Vancouver
- The Grand Tableau Studios, from Vancouver
The Video Games Business Development Program allocates funding to B.C.-owned and -controlled companies to develop creative intellectual properties, encouraging growth for mid-level and experienced studios beyond the constraints of project-by-project funding.
The five successful applicants will each receive $200,000 in funding. Eligible costs include:
- market research
- labour and personnel
- technology content and design
- online content and application development (including copyright clearance, documentation, design, and development)
- technical and administrative expenses
- travel costs
- legal, accounting, and consulting fees
- activities to open foreign markets
- playtesting for QA and usability
“B.C. is home to some of the world’s most talented and innovative video game creators. This partnership with the Canada Media Fund provides B.C. studios the support they need to develop original games, strengthen their businesses, and compete globally,” declared the Honourable Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport. “This investment will help bring exciting new products to market, drive economic growth, and create good-paying jobs. I look forward to seeing—and playing—the incredible games that emerge from this partnership.”
“We’re thrilled to support a new cohort of B.C. studios as they grow their business and deepen their contributions to the global gaming landscape,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF. “This program, and our excellent partnership with Creative BC, underscores the power of collaboration to grow local intellectual properties, create high-quality jobs, and strengthen Canada’s presence in the interactive entertainment sector. We look forward to seeing the innovative work these studios will bring to players around the world.”
“B.C.’s video game creators are building world‑class experiences, and Creative BC is proud to champion the studios behind this remarkable work,” stated Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC. “We are grateful to the Province of B.C. and the CMF for their ongoing commitment to B.C.’s interactive digital media industry. Thanks to this support, 10 companies have now been able to develop new IP and scale their ideas to expand the reach of their businesses.”
“Government support programs like the Canada Media Fund and Creative BC’s Video Games Business Development Program play a vital role in strengthening Canadian-owned companies that create high-quality jobs and build globally competitive intellectual property,” concluded Loc Dao, Executive Director, DigiBC. “By investing $1 million into five B.C.–based studios and supporting critical business development costs—from talent and technology to market expansion and professional services—this initiative enables sustainable growth, international competitiveness, and long-term economic impact within Canada’s creative technology ecosystem.”
About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice, and promoting access to content through public and private sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors. Visit our website for more information
About Creative BC
Creative BC is an independent society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative industries: motion picture, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, and magazine and book publishing. The organization delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand B.C.’s creative economy. These activities include: administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs; delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector; and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market B.C. as a partner and destination of choice for domestic and international content creation. The agency acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help B.C.’s creative sector reach its economic, social, environmental, and creative potential both at home and globally. Website: www.creativebc.com
Media contacts
Maxime Ruel
Senior Manager, Communications, CMF
[email protected]
Lisa Escudero
Manager, Brand and Communications, Creative BC
[email protected]
+1 604-730-2235
