Why a U.S. video game firm picked Calgary over Toronto for new studio

New World Interactive’s decision to establish its first Canadian studio in Calgary represented an important step in the growth of the city’s game-development industry. The U.S.-based developer, known for Insurgency and Insurgency: Sandstorm, planned to initially hire 12 to 15 people locally, with the potential to grow the Calgary operation to approximately 50 or 60 employees. The company selected Calgary after considering several Canadian cities, citing quality of life, local support, available talent and opportunities for investment. Calgary Economic Development viewed the studio as a potential anchor that could help attract additional game companies to the city. New World also intended to hire locally where possible across programming, design, animation, art and other disciplines. The expansion demonstrated Calgary’s potential to retain creative and technical talent while diversifying an economy traditionally dominated by oil and gas.