Turkey reports and market data
Documents
Initial Research & Analysis Report: Higher-ed Programmes for Careers in Game Design & Development
The GAMEHIGHED project, a three-year Erasmus+ strategic partnership, examines the alignment between higher education and the evolving requirements of the global game industry.
- Higher education institutions face a persistent disconnect between traditional academic structures and the project-based, fast-paced requirements of the professional game industry.
- Successful programs like Bahçeşehir University’s BUG Lab and Charles University’s Gamedev Cuni effectively bridge the theory-practice gap by utilizing sandbox environments, game jams, and direct industry mentorship.
- European game development hubs in Poland and the Czech Republic are experiencing a significant talent gap, with current educational output failing to fill hundreds of annual job openings.
The emerging markets power panel
The emerging markets panel at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 explored the growth, challenges, and strategic opportunities within the mobile gaming sectors of India, the Middle East, and Turkey.
- India has surpassed China in monthly mobile game download volume and data consumption, establishing itself as the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.
- Turkey is a strategic hub for hyper-casual game testing due to its combination of low cost-per-install (CPI) rates and high user engagement with in-game advertisements.
- Monetization in India is evolving as digital payment solutions and debit card integration begin to overcome the historical barrier of low credit card penetration.
Recontact Istanbul: Eyes Of Sky postmortem
Recontact Digital Arts, a Turkish studio, developed the Recontact series to pioneer the integration of interactive cinema and mobile gaming.
- Recontact Digital Arts scaled its development team from three to 30 employees to produce the interactive cinematic game Recontact: Istanbul using the Unity engine.
- The studio successfully reached approximately 60 million users globally by merging high-fidelity live-action film with interactive mobile gameplay.
- Technical optimization was critical to the project, requiring the studio to compress high-resolution video assets from two gigabytes down to 500 megabytes for mobile performance.
MENA rising – The Arabic mobile gamer
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region represents a rapidly expanding mobile gaming market, characterized by high smartphone penetration and significant untapped potential.
- The MENA mobile gaming market reached a valuation of approximately $4.4 billion in 2021, supported by a base of 500 million smartphone users.
- Saudi Arabia stands out as a primary market, currently recording one of the highest average revenues per paying user (ARPPU) globally, exceeding figures seen in China.
- Localization is a critical barrier to entry, as less than 1% of online content is currently translated into Arabic, despite it being the fourth most spoken language in the world.
Biz Daily: Lower App Store pricing for India and Indonesia
Apple has implemented a strategic adjustment to its App Store pricing structure, responding to shifting global exchange rates and tax regulations.
- Apple has introduced two new low-price tiers, 'alternate tier A' and 'alternate tier B,' to lower the cost of digital content in India, Indonesia, Russia, and other markets.
- South Korea, a key mobile gaming hub, is experiencing a 10% price increase on the App Store as part of a broader global pricing adjustment.
- Price increases are being implemented in four specific markets: South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea, to account for shifting exchange rates and tax regulations.
FunPlus CEO Andy Zhong on taking a global approach
FunPlus operates as a Beijing-based developer and publisher that prioritizes a global market strategy over domestic expansion.
- FunPlus prioritizes a global-first strategy, currently serving 6 million daily active users with significant market penetration in Europe and the Middle East.
- The company integrates international talent into its 250-person Beijing headquarters, with 40 percent of the workforce recruited from Europe and the United States to bridge cultural gaps.
- FunPlus has achieved notable success in France, where 50 percent of the population has engaged with its titles and 10 percent have installed at least one game.