Velan Studios Opens Toronto Office, Announces Hiring to Fuel Self-Publishing Ambitions

Velan Studios has opened a new Downtown Toronto office and posted hiring for hybrid and onsite roles at that location and its Troy, New York headquarters as it scales to support a slate of self-published games and external IP partnerships. The studio announced the move as it prepares to mark its 10th anniversary, saying the Toronto team will help develop upcoming self-published titles and collaborate with local developers.

Velan CEO and co‑founder Karthik Bala framed the expansion as creative ambition. "At Velan, our goal has always been to make breakthrough games that feel like magic and deliver something that surprises and delights players," Bala said, adding the company is "excited to bring that mindset to Toronto and collaborate with developers in the area who are curious, thoughtful and passionate about crafting truly special player experiences with us."

The studio is hiring for a mix of senior roles and leadership positions, with current openings listed as senior gameplay animator, art director, senior technical artist, studio art manager, senior systems designer, senior combat designer, and senior level designer. Velan is recruiting for hybrid roles that require three days a week in the studio as well as fully onsite positions in Toronto and at its Troy, NY headquarters, and the company says additional roles will soon be announced.

Velan traces its roots to 2016, when brothers Guha and Karthik Bala founded the studio. The developer is best known for projects including Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Midnight Murder Club, and Knockout City, and it lists Troy, NY as its headquarters while now confirming studio locations in both Troy, NY and Toronto, ON. The expansion follows a difficult patch for the studio; around two years earlier Velan announced plans to lay off 46 workers after an unnamed external partner canceled a project.

Local and regional partners greeted the move. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said, "Toronto is a global hub for digital media and game development, driven by unmatched talent, creativity and a highly skilled workforce." A Toronto Global post with 20,654 followers called the opening Velan's "first expansion into Canada" and highlighted the region's deep pool of game development and digital media talent.

Velan has also joined Ontario Interactive as part of its regional engagement, and the company’s careers page lays out employee benefits aimed at recruitment. The listed package includes flexible paid time off plus nine paid holidays, health, vision, and dental insurance with flexible spending accounts, a 3% employer contribution to a 401(k) retirement plan, and consideration of additional voluntary benefits such as life, legal, pet, and critical life insurance.

As Velan ramps hiring in Toronto and maintains recruitment at its Troy headquarters, the studio says the new office will help scale teams for internally developed projects and external partnerships. With senior design and art leadership among the immediate vacancies and more roles to come, the next months will reveal how many hires the Downtown Toronto studio brings aboard and which upcoming self-published titles the new team will support.