One of the biggest nights in Canadian gaming is nearly upon us.
On Thursday, May 21, the Canadian Game Awards will return to Toronto for its sixth ceremony, honouring the biggest and best Canadian-made games from 2025 and coinciding with the XP Game Summit B2B conference in the city. Notably, Canadian Mass Effect stars Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer (female and male Commander Shepard, respectively) serve as CGA hosts this year.
The main event will begin at 8 p.m. at the John W. H. Bassett Theatre, with a pre-show in partnership with Twitch Toronto kicking off at 7 p.m. hosted by content creator Matthew Rondina and freelance host Camille Salazar Hadaway. Ticket buyers can also arrive starting at 4 p.m. for the Eh! Game Showcase to check out playable games and other experiences.
To learn more about all of this, MobileSyrup sat down with Carl-Edwin Michel, the creator and executive producer of the Canadian Game Awards. In a wide-ranging interview, he discussed the evolution of the show, some of the big changes this year, getting Hale and Meer to host, balancing “world premieres” with awards distribution and more.
What’s pretty interesting with the nominees is that it’s quite a varied bunch this year. Last year, Balatro was the breakout hit and swept pretty much every category. But this year, the playing field seems a lot more levelled. It could be anyone’s game, really. Was there anything that maybe surprised you or stood out in terms of nominees this year?
Carl-Edwin Michel: Yeah, what was surprising is actually that diversity in those games that are nominated, which is really cool. And also, the fact that it’s pretty tight — for me, it looks like you don’t know who’s going to win. You’re like, “Okay, this game or this game?” So that is actually really interesting. It [keeps] people guessing, and it [creates] anticipation. It’s like, “Okay, well, I want to know who’s going to win!” And everybody obviously has their favourites, but I think people will like the show because of that.
Last year was your first fully in-person event. Even during a snowstorm, the turnout was really strong. I was very happy to see that. And you’ve been candid that the prior show in 2023 wasn’t where you wanted it to be, so last year was a really big step forward. Having now put on that first fully in-person event, what were some of the biggest lessons that you learned, and was there anything that you wanted to expand upon or change this year?
Michel: Yeah, I think we’re comfortable with the base of the show. We’re on solid ground. That’s what was really important for me, because it was a little bit shaky before, as you know. Last year was like, “Okay, let’s stabilize everything. Let’s make sure that our processes are are good. Now they are, so we can build on that. So how do we add stuff to the show? How do we bring more celebrities of the gaming industry to the show?” So I think that this year, that’s what you’re going to see more and more. The show itself is going to be great, but we’re adding to it.
We’re adding components that hopefully people like, and then, from there, we’ll see what we bring next year or not. For example, the Eh! Game Showcase this year. We’re switching things a little bit, where we will have some game studios, for sure, but we’re also bringing experiences to have something different — some “Instagram activations” and things that people will enjoy. So there’ll be a lot of that this year. We’ll try it, see how it works. If it works, we’ll go from there.
One thing that we did last year that I was really happy that worked well, and we’re bringing back this year… I’m a big fan of back in the days of E3 where you were going to those press conferences, and there was always a studio presenting their next game. I think that is something that worked well. We did it for one studio last year, [Quebec City-based Nesting Games’ Directorate Novitiate]. We had what we call our “First Look.” So we had a few videos and one studio that came on stage. We want to bring that again this year and have some good surprises there. And hopefully, people like it, and we bring it more and more, year after year.
Obviously, the CGAS are not like The Game Awards; you’re not announcing a million different games. This is focused, first and foremost, on the awards. But you did dabble in that “world premiere” space a little bit. Without spoiling the surprises, obviously, how did you approach that this year in terms of striking that fine balance where it’s first and foremost about the awards, but also doing a little bit more of those premieres?
Directorate Novititae. (Image credit: Nesting Games)
Michel: Yeah, that’s it. At the end of the day, our show is an industry-focused show, but at the same time, what I want to do is really attract more fans, more gamers, to come and watch the awards. And at the end of the day, the awards are great, but you want to have a little bit more to attract people to make it more like an entertainment evening. So yes, for me, it is going to be important to bring those “first looks,” those “world premieres.” It may not be on the level of Geoff [Keighley, creator of The Game Awards] — for now! [laughs] Maybe one day.
But I think we want to strike that balance where maybe we just have three or four of them, maybe five, tops. We don’t want to plaster the show with world premiere after word premiere. I think Geoff is doing a great job doing that. I think that for us, the focus is really, “How do we celebrate the Canadian culture, the Canadian video game industry?” And giving those opportunities for those studios that may not have a spot at The Game Awards to showcase their premieres, they can go through us and they’re still going to have a good some good visibility out of it.
One of the other big changes this year is you pushed the awards from February to May to align with the XP Game Summit. Why was that an important move for you to make for the show, and how do you hope that will benefit the CGAs?
Michel: Snowstorm! [laughs] No, it was more than that. We realized, obviously, after the awards last year, a lot of people from the industry came to saying, “Hey, you should move your awards. Let’s create a big celebration of video games, all of us together.” There’s that celebration of video games in June for the City of Toronto, so there was some discussion there. But for me, it’s late in the year when you’re celebrating games that came out the year before. So what’s the balance? But at the same time, I had to recognize that there is a lot of people coming around the world from the industry to Toronto to celebrate games. That’s a big B2B conference with the XP Game Summit.
So I was like, “Okay, let’s work with them. Let’s see how it goes.” And I think that it’s a good choice. It’s a good thing for us to partner with the XP Game Summit. And maybe there will be other initiatives that will attach to us, and then next year and the following year will make it a bigger celebration of the gaming industry. So instead of being alone by ourselves in February with a risk of another snowstorm, we decided to move it. And hey, it’s going to be warm, so that’s a good thing! [laughs]
You were at the TIFF Lightbox last year and were originally set to return there. Now you’re at the MTCC’s John Bassett Theatre. What led to that change, and what do you think the new venue might afford in terms of opportunity for the show?
Michel: Yeah, it was just logistics. By changing the dates, it’s unfortunate they were not available. We hope to maybe come back to the TIFF Lightbox. We’ll see. The John Bassett Theatre going to be interesting. It’s different. It’s bigger. It has different aspects that hopefully will work. It reminds me a lot of where they do The Game Awards in the U.S. [the Peacock Theater in LA]. Obviously, it’s smaller [than that], but it’s a much bigger space [than TIFF], so hopefully, it brings us something different.
Another big change this year: your hosts. In the past, you’ve had media or on-camera personalities hosting, but this year, you have Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, who are big-name Canadian gaming actors. Of course, there was a lot of different Canadian actors you could have gone with. How did you land on Jennifer and Mark, and how did you actually get them to do it?
Michel: Because I’m celebrating Victor [Lucas, Canadian Electric Playground creator and host] as our [inaugural] Game Changer, it was quite important for me to bring the old school people that were around him around that same time. And I was like, “Oh, it would be really cool to work with these people.” Without revealing everything, I was approaching a lot of people that worked with Vic in the past to create something, and then obviously got in touch with Jennifer and Mark. And after discussions, in a spur of the moment, I was like, “It would be really cool to have the Shepards. I don’t know if they’re going to do it, but hey, I’m going to try my luck, let’s see.” [laughs]
So I sent a message to Mark first, and he got back to me pretty quickly. And he was like, “If Jennifer is down, I’m down!” So I’m like, “Oh, the door is open!” So I got in touch with Jennifer, and she said the same thing: “If Mark is down, I’m down!” So I was like, “Hey guys, let’s just do it!” So I created an email chain, and it just came together like that. At first, I was [worried] because obviously schedule-wise, they’re both traveling a lot for work and for what they do. But it turns out that the date was perfect. They were both available. I was like, “What are the odds? Let’s make it happen!”
I know you don’t want to spoil too much, but is there anything you can tease about what you have in mind in a larger sense of them co-hosting and their dynamic and what fans can expect?
Michel: Yeah, we’re obviously gonna play on the Shepards and Mass Effect. We’re in touch with the studio [BioWare] to make sure that we respect certain things. But expect some play there with their previous projects. I think it would be a shame to have have them both there and not play with that. So we’re excited.
I’m looking forward to ‘This is my favourite awards show on the Citadel.’
Michel: [laughs] ‘You should go.’
Both: [laughs]
Lots of great stuff there, I’m looking forward to it. Another cool thing besides the hosts is you announced Patricia Summersett, [the American-Canadian voice of] Zelda, as one of the presenters. I’m sure you can’t announce any more specific people, but in general, can we expect a few more ‘celebrity’ presenters like that?
Michel: Yeah, it was a lot of work of me directly getting in touch with these people, because I wanted to make sure that they understood, “It’s actually the creator of the awards that is contacting me, okay, cool. It’s legit.” So I got in touch with a lot of people. Some could, some couldn’t, obviously, schedule-wise. You’re always trying to bring a lot of people together. So yeah, I think no more big announcements to make, but there will be a lot of celebrities coming from either the States or elsewhere in Canada, that are going to be there. So that’s exciting. Some of them are not necessarily part of the show. They’ll just be there to participate. But I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to have all these people there to enjoy the show.
In terms of other presenting partners, are there any particular ones that you’re able to shout out?
Michel: Yes! So [Montreal-based Outlast developer] Red Barrels this year is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. So we are doing something special for them, too, so that is going to be interesting. There’s an activation that we’re working on with them, and then a really cool placement within the show, so that’s going to be great. And then we have our community awards coming back this year. Last year, I did announce that we were bringing the Fan Choice Award and the community awards, so we respected our word, we’re bringing it back. So the Fan Choice Award, we’re working with ESAC [Entertainment Software Association of Canada], which is really cool. They’re a great partner. I think we’re close to 4,000 votes on those, so it’s really awesome, great participation. And we will have a celebration for the community.
When I spoke to you last year about the CGAs, it was in February, which was obviously earlier on in the larger geopolitical landscape that we’re in right now with Canada and the U.S. At the time, you mentioned how Canada doesn’t really have its own shows like the BAFTAs, The Game Awards and that sort of thing. You also talked about how you’ve pitched programs to news stations like Breakfast Television, because they don’t normally talk about games. So, in the last almost year and a half, especially as more people are saying “Let’s support Canada,” have you seen any shift in terms of more mainstream Canadian interest in games?
2025 CGAs hosted by Naomi Kyle and Matthew Rondina.
Michel: Yes and no. Not enough. [laughs] But we’re working on that. We’re pushing. I was recording some podcasts yesterday. We call it the “Eh! Game Podcast” — it’s a little bit like “The Diary of a CEO” YouTuber who’s interviewing a bunch of CEOs from different companies. Same thing, same concept, but having people from the [gaming] industry and just talking to them about their career, etc. So hopefully we get some some traction there. But the goal is to really talk to mainstream media and get them to know the industry. I have a 10-year plan with these awards to make sure that we are at least on the level of the Junos. The music industry in Canada is well-respected, and it is celebrated. The TV and movie industry with the Screen Awards is well-respected and well-celebrated. It is a travesty for me that we [the Canadian gaming industry] don’t have that level of recognition in general media. So this is something that is going to be important for me to push as much as possible.
We have some plans that didn’t really work out this year for certain large media, but the goal, maybe with Eh! Game throughout the year or when we have other initiatives [like Eh! Game Expo in Kingston, Ont.], to go to Breakfast Television or whatever and talk about the industry. And hopefully, we move mountains. Or even if it’s a little bit, but at least we get to move this as much as possible. That also means you need to talk to the mainstream, and maybe we bring some popular Canadian actors to be on stage or stuff like that to attract more eyeballs to the show. So that is something that I’m thinking about right now. How do I make this event — and all the other initiatives — a little bit more mainstream, open to the fans, to the general public, as much as possible? It’s great to celebrate between us as the gaming industry. It’s awesome, but how do we bridge that gap and explore more audiences?
That’s great. Anything else you’d like to plug about this year’s CGAs?
Michel: The only thing that I would like to say for people is come early. Yes, the gala is at 8 p.m., but come early because we do have all those games and all those experiences that you can try. On top of the awards show, we have a pre-show this year for the first time […] We’ll have celebrities like Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale and Victor and others coming to talk to the two hosts before the show. So come early and come have fun with us in the community.
This interview has been edited for language, clarity and length.
The Canadian Game Awards will be held on Thursday, May 21 at the John W. H. Bassett Theatre in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Tickets to attend in person are available now on the official CGA website for $37.61 or you can tune in at home via the CGA’s YouTube and Twitch channels. You can also vote for your favourite game to win the Entertainment Software Association of Canada’s Fan Choice Award, which will be given out during the show.
Disclaimer: MobileSyrup is on the CGAs voting jury that decides the nominees and winners but is otherwise uninvolved with the production of the show itself.
