Updated Mar 17, 2026 by Wirtschaftskammer Österreich
Report · January 1, 2019
Published by Wirtschaftskammer Österreich
Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Unternehmensberatung Buchhaltung·IT Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Erstellt in Kooperation mit: Gefördert von: Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Die Studie wurde im Auftrag des Fachverbandes Unternehmensbe- ratung, Buchhaltung und Informationstechnologie (UBIT) verfasst.
Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche WIRTSCHAFTSKAMMER OSTERREICH Unternehmensberatung Buchhaltung·IT Game Development Studie 2019 Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Erstellt in Kooperation mit: Gefördert von: WKO Bundesministerium Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstar dont p Studie erstellt von: Jänner 2019
Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Die Studie wurde im Auftrag des Fachverbandes Unternehmensberatung, Buchhaltung und Informationstechnologie (UBIT) verfasst. Die Studie wurde aus Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstandort gefördert. Die Studie wurde in Kooperation mit der AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA erstellt. Projektverantwortung: FH-Hon.Prof. Dr. Dr. Herwig W. SCHNEIDER Projektteam: Mag. Sandra D. LENGAUER Peter LUPTÁČIK Jonas POPKO Daran DEMIROL, BA Industriewissenschaftliches Institut Mittersteig 10/4, A-1050 Wien Tel: +43-1-513 44 11-0 Fax: +43-1-513 44 11-2099 E-mail: [email protected]
Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung .......................................................................................................... 5 2 Produkte der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen .............................................. 7 2.1 Produkte.................................................................................................................................7 2.2 Fallstudien ...........................................................................................................................11 3 Die heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen – Eine Momentaufnahme .................... 23 3.1 Basisdaten ...........................................................................................................................23 3.2 MitarbeiterInnen................................................................................................................ 25 3.3 Bilanzdaten..........................................................................................................................31 3.4 Effekte der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen (derzeit)...................................36 4 Die heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen – Ein Zukunftsausblick .......................43 4.1 Finanzierungsmodelle .....................................................................................................43 4.2 Zukunft und Handlungsfelder ...................................................................................... 49 4.3 Effekte der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen (künftig)...................................57
..............................................................................43 4.2 Zukunft und Handlungsfelder ...................................................................................... 49 4.3 Effekte der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen (künftig)...................................57 5 Die heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen – Zusammenfassung .......................... 59 5.1 Zusammenfassung ...........................................................................................................59 5.2 Summary .............................................................................................................................66 Quellen .................................................................................................................. 75 Anhang A: Fragenkatalog des Online-Fragebogens ................................................ 77 Anhang B: Input-Output - Methodik .......................................................................85 Anhang C: Input-Output - Ergebnistabellen ........................................................... 89
Die wirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Spieleentwicklungsbranche Abbildungs- und Tabellenverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis: Abb. 1: Spieleplattformen der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen ........................................... 7 Abb. 2: Projektart der entwickelten Spiele der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen .................... 9 Abb. 3: Externes Dienstleistungsspektrum der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen ...................10 Abb. 4: Vorgehensprinzip: Von der Idee zur Geschäftsumsetzung .........................................11 Abb. 5: Business Model Canvas ........................................................................................12 Abb. 6: Business Model Canvas - Bongfish GmbH................................................................15 Abb. 7: Business Model Canvas - Mi'pu'mi Games GmbH .....................................................18 Abb. 8: Business Model Canvas - stillalive studios GmbH .....................................................21 Abb. 9: Phasenmodell nach Klandt und Entwicklungsstatus der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen..........................................................................................24 Abb. 10: Rechtsformen der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen................................................25 Abb. 11: Verteilung des gesamten Arbeitspensums in der Spieleentwicklung (Durchschnittsbetrachtung)..................................................................................27 Abb. 12: Aktivitäten abseits der Spieleentwicklung ............................................................... 27 Abb.
: Verteilung des gesamten Arbeitspensums in der Spieleentwicklung (Durchschnittsbetrachtung)..................................................................................27 Abb. 12: Aktivitäten abseits der Spieleentwicklung ............................................................... 27 Abb. 13: Alterskategorien der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen ............................................28 Abb. 14: Beschäftigungsarten und höchster Bildungsstatus der SpieleentwicklerInnen in Österreich..........................................................................................................29 Abb. 15: Zahl der Beschäftigten (inkl. InhaberInnen) der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen in den nächsten 3 Jahren (Prognose).....................................................................31 Abb. 16: Umsatzentwicklung der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen in den letzten bzw. den nächsten drei Jahren (Prognose)...........................................................................32 Abb. 17: Verteilung der gesamten Kosten in der Spieleentwicklung (Durchschnittsbetrachtung)..................................................................................33 Abb. 18: Exporträume der heimischen SpieleentwicklerInnen.................................................35 Abb. 19: Das 3-Schichten-Modell des IWI: Input-Output-Berechnungen ..................................36 Abb. 20: Gesamtwirtschaftliche Effekte der Game Development in Österreich 2017 ..................38 Abb. 21: Top-10 der vom Game Development indirekt und induziert profitierenden Branchen (Wertschöpfung in Mio. EUR)................................................................................39 Abb.
The study evaluates the state of Austria’s game‑development sector in the first half of 2024, tracing its evolution since a comparable survey in 2018 and quantifying its economic contribution. By updating the Institute of Industrial Research’s developer database to 149 active firms and collecting completed questionnaires from 80 companies (a 53.7 % response rate), the analysis combines firm‑level survey data with input‑output modelling to assess employment, turnover and multiplier effects. The industry has expanded rapidly: the number of firms rose 71.3 % to 149, with 81 % classified as micro‑enterprises (≤9 employees) and 54 % located in Vienna. Turnover reached €92.8 million in 2023—a nominal increase of 285 % since 2017—and employment grew from 474 jobs in 2017 to 1 080 in 2024 (128 % rise). Direct, indirect and induced effects generate a total of €188.7 million in revenue and support roughly 2 260 jobs across the Austrian economy, a multiplier of about 2.0 for both revenue and employment. Product portfolios remain dominated by entertainment titles (85 % of respondents), while serious and educational games have gained prominence (29 % and 30 %). Development focuses on PC and mobile platforms, with Unity used by 55 % of firms. The workforce is young and highly educated—nearly half are aged 25‑34 and 80 % hold tertiary degrees. Export orientation is strong, 82 % of firms sell to the EU‑27/UK and substantial shares reach the Americas and Asia. Financing relies chiefly on internal funds (92 % deem it very important); public subsidies rank second (62 %). One‑third of firms applied for public funding in the past two years, achieving a 65 % success rate. Looking ahead, respondents anticipate a slowdown in growth; projections suggest 2029 revenues of €149 million and employment of about 1 540, still representing robust expansion. Nevertheless, the sector rates Austria’s location policy poorly, calling for stronger governmental support, clearer financing mechanisms and improved tax conditions
The Austrian game sector is portrayed as a youthful, fast‑growing cluster of predominantly small and micro enterprises whose economic relevance has expanded dramatically over the past six years. A 2023‑2024 survey commissioned by the Austrian Professional Association of Management Consultancy, Accounting and IT and executed by the Institute of Industrial Research gathered responses from roughly 150 active developers, with detailed data supplied by 78 firms on production output and by 23 firms on serious‑game activities. The study combines firm‑level questionnaires with macro‑economic modelling to assess direct, indirect and induced effects on the national economy. Revenue generated by domestic developers reached €92.8 million in 2023, a nominal increase of more than 285 % compared with 2017, and still represents a 180 % rise after price‑level adjustment. Employment rose from 474 jobs in 2017 to 1 080 in 2024, a 128 % increase, and the sector’s multiplier effect creates roughly 2 260 jobs across Austria. Projections that assume a slowdown to one‑third of recent growth still forecast revenues of €149 million and a workforce of over 1 500 by 2029. In the preceding three years, the surveyed firms produced 405 games, while serious‑game developers now number 20‑30 companies employing 130‑150 staff, chiefly to raise awareness of social issues such as climate change. The workforce is highly qualified: almost 80 % hold tertiary degrees, with the 25‑34 age group dominating. Educational provision is concentrated in three regional hubs—Salzburg, Upper Austria and Carinthia—where 25 university programmes supply the bulk of IT talent. Financing remains largely internal, with self‑funding cited by 92 % of firms; public subsidies rank second but are considered insufficient, reflected in the finding that 77 % of developers rate Austria’s location policy as poor or very poor. Nonetheless, only 5 % contemplate relocation, and the majority anticipate continued employment growth over the next three years.
The study maps the structure and dynamics of the Czech video‑game industry as of 2020, highlighting its rapid export‑driven expansion and the strategic challenges it faces in talent development and public support. The sector comprises roughly 110 domestic development studios, of which only a small fraction are foreign branches, employing about 1,750 specialists. Turnover rose from CZK 2.26 billion in 2017 to over CZK 5 billion in 2020, equivalent to more than €190 million, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 29 % over the previous five years and an export share near 95 % to markets such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Revenue in 2019 already surpassed €169 million, outpacing the national film industry by a factor of three, and the market is projected to exceed €190 million in 2020. The analysis of the publishing and distribution landscape shows a shift away from traditional full‑development financing toward a model where publishers act mainly as marketing and launch partners, while online platforms now dominate the transaction chain, reducing costs and marginalising physical distributors, of which only ten remain active in the country. Consumer data reveal an average gamer age of 33, a gender split of one‑third women, and annual spending of roughly CZK 4 billion, with a strong preference for story‑driven titles. Human‑capital constraints emerge as a critical bottleneck: the industry confronts intense competition for skilled staff, a fragmented education pipeline, and limited visibility of creative industries within public policy. Unlike neighboring Poland and Germany, which allocate substantial public funds to game‑industry support, the Czech Republic offers virtually no dedicated subsidies for research, development or innovation, despite the sector’s outsized contribution to national exports. The findings suggest that sustained growth will depend on coordinated investment in education, clearer industry‑government linkages, and targeted public financing to bolster the sector’s competitive edge.
PC, CONSOLE AND MOBILE GAME DEVELOPERS IN CZECH REPUBLIC 2019 DEVELOPERS IN CZECH REPUBLIC 2019 This Study was prepared by the Institute for Digital Economy (www.digitalniekonomika.cz) in cooperation with the Czech Game Developers Association (www.gda.cz) with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA (www.kreativnievropa.cz).