ReportAustrian Professional Association of Management Consultancy
The Austrian Game Industry 2024
1 Jan 202420 pages~11 min full read
The Austrian game industry generated €92.8 million in revenue in 2023, marking a 285% nominal increase since 2017.
See it on page 11Direct employment in the sector grew 128% over seven years, rising from 474 jobs in 2017 to 1,080 in 2024, with a total economic multiplier effect supporting 2,260 jobs.
See it on page 10Projections for 2029 estimate industry revenue will reach €149 million and the workforce will exceed 1,500 employees, even assuming a significant slowdown in growth.
See it on page 10The industry is characterized by small and micro enterprises that rely heavily on internal financing, with 92% of firms self-funding their operations.
See it on page 12Despite 77% of developers rating Austria’s location policy as poor or very poor, only 5% of firms are considering relocation.
See it on page 16The workforce is highly educated, with nearly 80% of employees holding tertiary degrees, supported by 25 university programs concentrated in Salzburg, Upper Austria, and Carinthia.
See it on page 8Serious-game development has emerged as a specialized niche, with 20–30 companies employing up to 150 staff to focus on social issues like climate change.
See it on page 14The 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.
