Despite having a population of nearly 300 million people fewer than their neighbours to the south, Canada has a proud history in the video game industry. Established game developers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Bethesda all have offices in the country, with cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver all even appearing as playable settings in some of their games.
With that being said, this part of the video game industry is very different to the competitive space. Esports in Canada haven’t been as supported as mainstream publications, however, there are signs that this could all be about to change. Check out Gamelevate as we run you through some of the biggest Canadian Esports teams leading the way in the country!
Canadian Pros
Before we kick off on some of the biggest Canadian Esports teams, it’s worth sparing some lines on the most significant pro players from the country plying their trade for orgs across the globe. NAF and Twistzz are two of the most successful CS:GO players, Surefour is a renowned Overwatch pro, Arteezy is renowned in the Dota 2 world and influencers such as Shroud are infamous for their streams on Twitch, Kick and YouTube.
Toronto Defiant
In 2018, it was announced that Esports entertainment company OverActive Media (OAM) had purchased a slot in the Overwatch League for a Canadian-based side. Toronto Defiant was founded, with their name coming from the “represent the strength, character, and resiliency of Toronto”, and they play in the traditional Canadian colours of red, black, white, and grey.
In 2019, Overactive Media partnered with Mirage Sport Électronique to found the Canadian academy team Montreal Rebellion to compete in Overwatch Contenders. Despite being based in Canada, none of the current roster playing for the team is actually Canadian.
Luminosity Gaming
Founded by Steve “Buyaka” Maida in 2015 and based in Toronto, Luminosity Gaming are an Esports team currently fielding teams in Call of Duty, Overwatch, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Super Smash Bros., Fortnite, Apex Legends and Rocket League.
The best online sports betting site Canada has the latest odds on all Luminosity’s performances in the servers, and the org currently has partnerships with 8 major companies ranging from HyperX to Zowie.
The org won the MLG Columbus 2016 Major with FalleN’s legendary Brazilian side in CS:GO and famously picked up Eric “Problem” Wright, considered the greatest Madden player of all time.
Toronto Ultra
Also owned by OverActive Media, Toronto Ultra reportedly paid $25 million to be a part of the professional Call of Duty League (CDL). Ultra were one of the first five founding teams of the CDL. Playing in purple, black and white colours, the org have claimed a Rookie of the Year award with Scrappy, and a 1st Team All-Star with Scrappy.
To date, Toronto Ultra have claimed over $450,000 in tournament winnings, finishing as runners-up in the Grand Finals in the CDL twice since 2021. But again, despite being based in Canada’s largest city, the team still don’t have any Canadians plying their trade for them.
