It’s already November! We’ve got a packed month ahead for Ontario’s video game and interactive entertainment community. IO is announcing a brand-new Hybrid ISB talk featuring our partners at Nordicity, as well as new program deadlines, Xsolla’s upcoming event during MIGS 2025, Canada’s Trade Mission to Mexico, and much more.
Plus, don’t forget to grab your IO Connect Tickets before they’re gone!
Read on for all the details!
Hybrid ISB Talk & Lunch: Key Emerging Trends in Interactive Entertainment
Join us on November 26 at 10:30 AM (ET) at Ubisoft Toronto or online for a special Indie Superboost (ISB) session featuring Kristian Roberts, CEO of Nordicity, an IO partner. Kristian will share insights on key emerging trends and projections shaping the interactive entertainment industry, followed by a free networking lunch.
This hybrid event offers a valuable opportunity to better understand how to navigate and thrive in a rapidly evolving creative ecosystem while connecting with local developers and peers.
- When: November 26, 2025 – 10:30 AM ET
- Where: Hybrid – 224 Wallace Avenue (Ubisoft Toronto Office) / Online
ISB Talks are open exclusively to video game and interactive entertainment developers, as well as program partners.
Thank you to the City of Toronto, Ontario Creates, Canada Media Fund, Xsolla, and Ubisoft Toronto for supporting this event.
Don’t Miss these IO Programs – Now Open for Registration
Access to Mentorship – Strengthen your studio’s capabilities with one-on-one sessions from top mentors in grant writing, pitch training, community management, and more at a fraction of the usual cost.
- Deadline: November 14, 2025
Access to Publishers/Investors – Connect your Ontario studio with targeted international publishers and investors through personalized introductions, pitch review sessions, and strategic guidance to help secure publishing opportunities.
- Deadline: November 14, 2025, at 5 PM ET
IO Connect: Holiday Mixer 2025 – Join us on December 3 at 6:30 PM at Toronto’s Arcadian Loft for an evening celebrating Ontario’s video game, XR, interactive entertainment, and music industries, featuring networking, demos, and festivities. Discounted ticket bundles are available!
- When: December 3, 2025 at 6:30 PM ET
- Where: Arcadian Loft, Toronto
Canada Trade Mission to Mexico for Creative Industries
Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada are partnering to lead a creative industries business program as part of the Canada Trade Mission to Mexico, taking place February 15–20, 2026, in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
The mission will connect Canadian export-ready companies in the audiovisual, performing arts, live music, and interactive digital media sectors with international partners through curated meetings and networking events. There are no participation fees, and the official program includes matchmaking and on-site business activities. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation.
You can also explore the Business Benefits Finder tool to find relevant funding programs.
Applications are open until Friday, November 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Contact here if you have any questions.
Ubisoft Toronto at Hot Docs Curious Minds Festival
Ubisoft Toronto’s Narrative Director Navid Khavari will join the Where Art Meets Tech panel at the inaugural Hot Docs Curious Minds Festival on Saturday, November 8, at 4:15 PM ET, at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema.
The discussion, moderated by Victoria Kucher, will also feature Kait Tremblay (Interactive Ontario Member Soft Rains) and Lindsay Rollins (Rocket Adrift), exploring how storytelling and technology converge in creative industries.
IO Member Spotlight
Toronto-based Dark Slope has launched The Deep: Beyond the Reef, a VR adventure game now available on Meta Quest 3. Based on the award-winning animated series The Deep, the game invites players to explore a vast underwater world alongside the Nekton family, solving environmental mysteries through exploration and discovery.
Are you an IO member with news to share? Please contact us at communications@interactiveontario.com or via Discord to share your story!
Partner Spotlight: Xsolla
Calling all game developers!
Join Xsolla during Montreal International Game Summit, November 11–12, to explore new ways to grow your game—from monetization strategies to direct-to-player tools. Stop by their booth to learn more.
You’re also invited to Xsolla Connect: Montreal presented by Innoprofits on November 12, an exclusive evening networking event and dinner cruise along the St. Lawrence River. Connect with local studios, share insights, and discover new opportunities.
Our Mission: To inspire, unite and enable Ontario’s video game and interactive digital media community to achieve long-term growth and prosperity.
