The mobile game studios based in Vancouver
Vancouver holds 5 of the 19 Canadian mobile studios in this directory, led by Kabam at about 810 people, with Toronto holding another 5. Where a Canadian studio sits is largely a tax decision, because the interactive media credits are provincial and they differ sharply.
Türkiye refunds half of what a software company or game studio spends on advertising, app store commissions and hosting when it sells to customers abroad, and up to 70% when those customers are in one of twenty target markets. It is paid in cash, against invoices you have already settled. Try it with your own numbers.
01Which game studios are based in Vancouver?
Sorted by size, largest first. Tap the Founded or People columns to sort.
| Studio | Founded | People |
|---|---|---|
| KabamA leading mobile game development and publishing company, known for creating massively multiplayer… | 2006 | 810 |
| East Side GamesAn independent developer and publisher of free-to-play narrative idle and mobile games, founded in… | 2011 | 120 |
| East Side Games Group Inc.A leading free-to-play mobile game company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. | 2018 | 110 |
| A Thinking ApeA mobile game development studio based in Vancouver, founded in 2008. | 2008 | 85 |
| All OutAn online gaming platform based in British Columbia, Canada. | 2023 | 36 |
Headcounts are third-party estimates and companies count staff differently. Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026
02Why do studios base themselves in Vancouver?
What keeps them there
- British Columbia's interactive digital media credit, which reimburses a share of eligible local labour.
- Thirty years of console and mobile experience in the city, which built a deep pool of senior developers.
- Time zone overlap with both Asia and Europe within one working day, which suits live operations teams.
- Immigration routes that are simpler than most, so hiring internationally is realistic.
| Federal corporate income tax | 15% on general active business incomesource |
|---|---|
| Combined federal and provincial rate | Roughly 23% to 26% depending on the provincesource |
Canadian support reimburses labour, which fits a large production team with a long cycle and fits a small team with a large media budget badly.
A mobile studio in Vancouver may have twenty people and spend millions on installs. The provincial credit reaches the twenty people. Nothing reaches the millions.
What Türkiye would pay back on your spending
Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.
Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.
03Questions we get asked
Which province pays the most?
It depends on your labour mix and whether you qualify as an interactive digital media producer. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec all run credits with different rates.
Do the credits cover offshore staff?
Generally not. They favour employees on payroll inside the province and restrict contractor and offshore costs.
Does claiming abroad affect the provincial credit?
No. A Turkish claim is made by a separate company on its own spend, and the Canadian entity carries on as before.
Why a consultancy keeps a studio directory
CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. We track where studios are because the question we are asked most often is who else has done this, and a list is a better answer than an assurance.
- Every figure is sourced. Each number links to the page it came from and carries the date we last checked it.
- We do the filing. Claims run through DYS, the ministry's own system, and we handle the evidence pack, the deadlines and the follow-up questions.
- You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.
Turn that number into money
Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.
- A reply from a person within one working day
- No mailing list, no drip sequence
- Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way
Got it.
We will read it properly and reply within a working day. If you would rather get it over with now, pick a time that suits you.
Book a 30 minute call04Where these numbers come from
- https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/canada/corporate/taxes-on-corporate-income checked 2026-08-20
- Apollo company data, exported 20 August 2026 checked 2026-08-20