The European video‑game market posted a total turnover of €24 billion in the fiscal year 2024, a figure that reflects the combined revenue of more than 6,600 development studios spread across the region. These companies collectively employed over 95,000 individuals, ranging from programmers and artists to marketers and business support staff. The data comes from the European Video Game Industry Insights Report, a joint publication by the European Games Development Association (EGDF) and Video Games Europe (VGA). Because of the time needed to gather and verify the numbers, the report is based on information that was compiled during 2024.
Each of the 28 EGDF member organisations first prepared a national‑level snapshot of activity in their respective markets. Those individual submissions were then merged to produce a comprehensive view of the whole European landscape. One of the most striking findings of the study is that, despite a noticeable slowdown in the expansion of the continent’s talent base, the number of active studios continued to rise. Between five and ten percent more studios were operating in 2024 than in the previous year, indicating that new ventures are still being launched even as the pool of available skilled workers shows signs of saturation.
Countries such as Finland, Italy and the Czech Republic displayed modest but steady increases in their employment figures, suggesting that local ecosystems are still capable of supporting incremental growth. Poland emerged as the clear leader in terms of human resources, employing the largest share of game‑development and publishing staff within the European Union.
Polish studios also produced the highest number of newly released titles, with 450 games hitting the market in 2024. The United Kingdom followed with a sizable workforce of 28,516 professionals, underscoring its continued importance as a hub for both creative and technical talent.
The 2024 edition of the report also marked the first appearance of two smaller markets: Bulgaria and Cyprus. Although their absolute turnover figures are modest compared with the larger economies, both nations were highlighted for their strategic significance.
Cyprus generated €4.3 billion in revenue and was described as the "main game industry hub in terms of combined revenue," reflecting the concentration of high‑value activity on the island. Bulgaria, on the other hand, was recognised as an "important regional hub surrounded by key European game industry talent" from neighboring Romania and Turkey, indicating that it serves as a bridge between several emerging talent pools. The EGDF commented that the findings illustrate a paradoxical situation: even in a period marked by economic uncertainty and operational challenges, several countries managed to push both revenue and studio counts upward, thereby lifting the overall European indicators.
This resilience is evident in the continued investment in new studios, the launch of fresh intellectual property, and the ability of established firms to maintain or grow their market share. However, the report also warned of underlying headwinds. Across the continent, a wave of layoffs, corporate consolidations and a slight decline in employment numbers in certain markets signalled the first real dip in the sector’s workforce growth.
Some nations recorded a modest reduction in staff, a development the EGDF described as "the first such dip in the sector for the first time." These trends suggest that while revenue streams remain robust, the industry is grappling with structural adjustments, possibly driven by rising production costs, shifting consumer preferences and the need for higher specialization. In summary, the European gaming industry in 2024 demonstrated a mixed picture. On the one hand, the sector generated a substantial €24 billion in turnover, added up to 10 percent more studios, and sustained a workforce of nearly 100 000 people, with Poland and the United Kingdom leading in employment. On the other hand, the slowdown in talent‑pool expansion and the emergence of layoffs in several jurisdictions point to challenges that could affect future growth.
Policymakers, educational institutions and industry bodies will need to collaborate closely to address skill shortages, support startup ecosystems and ensure that the European video‑game sector remains competitive on the global stage.