Bulgaria's Gaming Industry in 2025 and Beyond

This interview with Genoveva Christova-Murray, co-founder of CreaTech Bulgaria and MISSIA23, outlines the strategic importance and future trajectory of Bulgaria's gaming industry, with a focus on regional and European collaboration. The central thesis is that gaming is a crucial component of the "economy of experience," driving innovation, job creation, and cultural export, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeastern Europe.

Key findings emphasize the benefits of creative clusters like CreaTech Bulgaria, which unite diverse creative sectors, including game development, to foster collaboration, shared resources, and access to international markets. Christova-Murray highlights that gaming thrives on interdisciplinary collaboration and, when integrated into such clusters, gains increased visibility and opportunities for joint funding and product co-development. The Black Sea Game Summit, held on June 27–28, is presented as a successful example of engaging municipalities and academia to support the gaming industry, positioning Burgas as a tech-forward destination.

The outlook for Bulgaria's gaming ecosystem is optimistic, citing strong technical education, visual artists, and a growing number of world-class small studios. Initiatives like organizing a national booth at Gamescom and developing accelerator programs at MISSIA23 aim to retain and grow local talent, transforming Bulgaria into a regional leader in game IP and cultural innovation. Furthermore, significant potential for collaboration between Bulgaria and Türkiye is identified, suggesting a "Balkan gaming corridor" to address shared challenges like access to capital and talent retention, ultimately aiming to elevate Southeastern Europe's standing in the global gaming market. CreaTech Bulgaria plans to join the European Game Developers Federation to further deepen European collaborations and access EU-level projects and policy-making opportunities.