Libro Blanco del Desarrollo Español de Videojuegos 2016

The 2016 White Paper on the Spanish Video Game Development Industry serves as a comprehensive analysis of the sector's economic health, growth trajectory, and strategic importance within the national economy. Published by the Spanish Association of Video Game Developers (DEV) with support from ICEX, the report highlights a period of significant expansion, noting that the industry generated 510 million euros in revenue in 2015, representing a 24% increase over the previous year. Projections included in the analysis suggest that this figure could reach 1.14 billion euros by 2019, underscoring the sector's potential as a key economic driver.

The findings emphasize that while the industry is experiencing robust growth in both revenue and employment—with nearly 8,000 jobs generated in 2015—it faces structural challenges, most notably the high degree of atomization among companies. Data indicates that 71% of the industry consists of small businesses with fewer than 10 employees, and a notable portion of these firms currently report no revenue. Furthermore, the report identifies a reliance on foreign productions in the domestic market, as none of the top 20 best-selling games in Spain are locally developed.

To address these challenges, the presentation of the report featured a high-level political debate involving representatives from major Spanish political parties. The discourse centered on the necessity of establishing a strategic plan for the sector, implementing tax incentives, and fostering an environment that encourages the scaling of small and medium-sized enterprises. The event successfully garnered significant media attention, achieving over 8 million potential impressions on social media and facilitating over 4,000 downloads of the report within its first two weeks of availability. This initiative reflects a concerted effort to position the Spanish video game industry as a strategic, high-value asset for future economic development.