In 2024 the European video‑game market demonstrated remarkable economic strength, delivering a combined revenue of roughly €24 billion. This impressive turnover was generated by more than 6,600 development studios spread throughout the region, collectively employing a workforce that now exceeds 95,000 individuals. The figures come from the latest European Video Game Industry Insights Report, a joint publication by the European Games Development Association (EGDF) and Video Games Europe (VGA).
The report, which reflects data collected throughout 2024, follows a rigorous compilation process. First, each of the 28 EGDF member organisations prepares a detailed national snapshot of its local industry. Those individual submissions are then merged to produce a comprehensive, continent‑wide overview.
Because of the time required to gather, verify, and harmonise the statistics, the publication is released a year after the reference period, ensuring that the numbers are both accurate and comparable across borders. One of the most striking observations in the 2024 edition is the contrast between two opposing trends. On the one hand, the overall expansion of the talent pool – the pool of professionals available for hire – appears to have stalled. In previous years, the number of qualified developers, artists, designers, and support staff had been climbing steadily, but this momentum flattened in 2024, with several markets even reporting a modest decline.
On the other hand, the total count of active studios continued to grow, rising somewhere between five and ten percent compared with the previous year. This divergence suggests that while fewer new workers are entering the field, existing companies are either expanding their operations or new, often smaller, studios are being founded, perhaps with leaner staffing models. Country‑specific data illustrate the broader picture.
Finland, Italy, and the Czech Republic each recorded slight but positive increases in their employment numbers, indicating that local ecosystems remain healthy enough to sustain modest hiring. Poland stood out as the clear leader in terms of sheer headcount, employing the largest number of game‑development and publishing professionals in the entire European Union.
Polish studios also produced the highest volume of new titles, releasing 450 distinct games during the year—a testament to the country’s robust production pipeline and its capacity to support both indie creators and larger publishers. The United Kingdom, another major hub, reported a workforce of 28,516 people working in game development, design, and related services. While the UK’s total employment figure is lower than Poland’s, the nation continues to attract significant investment and maintains a reputation for high‑quality output, especially in narrative‑driven and AAA‑scale projects. Two markets made their debut in the 2024 report: Bulgaria and Cyprus.
Their inclusion reflects the growing importance of smaller, emerging regions within the European gaming landscape. Cyprus, despite its modest size, generated €4.3 billion in turnover, earning the description of the "main game industry hub in terms of combined revenue" for the region. This impressive figure underscores Cyprus’s role as a financial and production centre that aggregates revenue from a variety of development activities, including outsourcing, publishing, and ancillary services. Bulgaria, meanwhile, was highlighted as an "important regional hub surrounded by key European game industry talent" from neighboring Romania and Türkiye.
The Bulgarian market benefits from a strategic geographic position, a relatively low cost base, and a growing community of skilled developers, making it an attractive destination for both domestic start‑ups and foreign studios looking to establish a foothold in the Balkans. The EGDF’s commentary on the findings paints a nuanced picture of resilience and challenge.
"The report demonstrates that despite challenging times, industry growth continued in several countries, in both revenue and the number of studios, lifting both indicators at the European level," the association noted. This optimism is tempered by the acknowledgment that the sector is also experiencing headwinds. Layoffs, corporate consolidations, and a general slowdown in hiring have led to a stagnation of employment figures, and in some nations the sector even recorded its first post‑war decline in workforce size.
These contractions are the first of their kind in the modern era of European game development, signalling that while revenue streams remain strong, the labour market is undergoing a period of adjustment. Several factors contribute to this mixed environment. The rapid escalation of development costs, especially for high‑budget titles, forces studios to become more selective in hiring and often to outsource portions of their work. Additionally, macro‑economic pressures such as inflation, rising energy prices, and uncertain consumer spending patterns have prompted some companies to tighten budgets and, in certain cases, reduce staff.
The consolidation trend—where larger publishers acquire smaller studios or merge operations—also reshapes the employment landscape, as overlapping roles are eliminated and resources are reallocated. Nevertheless, the overall health of the European gaming sector remains robust. The €24 billion turnover indicates that consumer demand for interactive entertainment continues to grow, driven by trends such as mobile gaming, live‑service models, and the expanding reach of cloud‑based platforms.
Moreover, the increase in the number of studios suggests a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, with creators launching new ventures that diversify the market and foster innovation. Looking ahead, industry stakeholders anticipate that the talent shortage may spur greater investment in education and training programs, aiming to replenish the pipeline of skilled workers.
Initiatives such as university courses, vocational bootcamps, and public‑private partnerships are expected to play a pivotal role in addressing the skills gap. At the same time, the continued rise of remote work and cross‑border collaboration could enable studios to tap into talent pools beyond their immediate geographic regions, mitigating some of the employment pressures observed in 2024. In summary, the 2024 European Video Game Industry Insights Report paints a picture of a sector that, while facing notable challenges in workforce dynamics, continues to generate substantial revenue and expand its creative base.
The coexistence of revenue growth, an increasing number of studios, and emerging hubs like Bulgaria and Cyprus highlights the adaptability and forward‑looking nature of Europe’s gaming ecosystem. As the industry navigates the complexities of cost pressures, consolidation, and talent scarcity, its underlying resilience suggests a promising trajectory for the years to come.