In 2021, the EU video game industry comprised 5,500 game developer studios and over 250 game publishers, employing 85,000 people and generating a turnover of €18.3 billion, up from 78,000 employees and €15.1 billion in 2020.
02
Many European countries offer cultural aid for video game production, with common forms including grants (e.g., Austria, Denmark, Finland), loans (e.g., Belgium, France), and tax credits (e.g., Belgium, France, Germany, Greece).
03
Europe has a robust educational infrastructure for game development, with numerous institutions offering study programs; for example, Austria has 13 institutions, Belgium 8, and the Czech Republic 8.
04
Individual European countries show varying industry sizes and growth; for instance, Denmark had 168 studios and 911 employees in 2021, while Norway had 17 studios and 368 employees in the same year.
05
The report defines a game developer studio as a sole trader or company whose main turnover comes from developing games, including one-man teams and those using external publishers, and an active company as one registered, employing people, and generating turnover.
Insights
01
In 2021, the EU video game industry comprised 5,500 game developer studios and over 250 game publishers, employing 85,000 people and generating a turnover of €18.3 billion, up from 78,000 employees and €15.1 billion in 2020.
02
Many European countries offer cultural aid for video game production, with common forms including grants (e.g., Austria, Denmark, Finland), loans (e.g., Belgium, France), and tax credits (e.g., Belgium, France, Germany, Greece).
03
Europe has a robust educational infrastructure for game development, with numerous institutions offering study programs; for example, Austria has 13 institutions, Belgium 8, and the Czech Republic 8.
04
Individual European countries show varying industry sizes and growth; for instance, Denmark had 168 studios and 911 employees in 2021, while Norway had 17 studios and 368 employees in the same year.
05
The report defines a game developer studio as a sole trader or company whose main turnover comes from developing games, including one-man teams and those using external publishers, and an active company as one registered, employing people, and generating turnover.