The document is the Toronto Esports Strategy 2023-2027, titled "Level Up," funded by the City of Toronto, Destination Toronto, and Ontario Creates. It draws on consultations with over 90 experts from Toronto and the surrounding region, including 53 survey responses, 15 interviews, and 30 roundtable participants, plus research. It also includes a jurisdictional scan of eight cities across four continents, among them Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Chicago, Seoul, Chongqing, Katowice, and Rio de Janeiro.
The strategy reports that global esports generated $1.52B in 2022, with the global audience growing 8.7% year on year to 532 million. It cites projections of $3.7B in global esports revenue by 2025. The document states that a reported average of 70% of event attendees are from out of market, and that Destination Toronto is prioritizing esports as a sector to support local tourism.
Its insights include a content creator brain drain, with many Toronto-born influencers now based in Los Angeles, and a professionalization of esports careers reflected in post-secondary programs. The document also finds that esports is still relatively unknown beyond the esports community, and that the local ecosystem does not reflect Toronto's diversity. It sets out nine recommendations, including a regional esports consortium and skills-based training.
