The European video‑game market posted a combined revenue of €24 billion in 2024, supported by more than 6,600 active studios and a labour force that now exceeds 95,000 individuals. These figures come from the European Video Game Industry Insights Report, a joint publication of the European Games Development Association (EGDF) and Video Games Europe (VGA). The report, which compiles data for the calendar year 2024, is the result of a multi‑stage process: each of the 28 EGDF member organisations first prepares a national‑level analysis, after which the EGDF aggregates the individual submissions into a single, continent‑wide overview. One of the most striking take‑aways from the 2024 edition is the contrast between the stagnation of the overall talent base and the continued rise in the number of game‑development studios.
While the pool of skilled professionals showed little net growth, the total count of studios climbed by between five and ten percent over the previous year. This modest but steady expansion was evident in several key markets, including Finland, Italy and the Czech Republic, where employment figures in the sector continued to inch upward despite broader hiring headwinds. Poland emerged as the clear leader in terms of human resources, employing the largest number of game‑development and publishing staff across the European Union. Polish studios also topped the continent in output, releasing a record 450 new titles during the year.
The United Kingdom, another major hub, reported a workforce of 28,516 people, placing it firmly among the top‑five EU nations by headcount. The 2024 report also marked the first appearance of two smaller economies—Bulgaria and Cyprus—within the EGDF’s statistical set.
Cyprus, despite its modest size, generated €4.3 billion in turnover and was highlighted as the primary revenue‑driven hub for the region. Bulgaria, meanwhile, was described as an “important regional hub surrounded by key European game‑industry talent” and noted for its strategic location near the talent pools of Romania and Türkiye. The EGDF’s commentary underscored the mixed nature of the year’s results.
On the one hand, the data demonstrate that several countries managed to sustain growth in both revenue and studio count, thereby lifting the overall European averages. On the other hand, the sector also faced a wave of layoffs, company consolidations and a slight decline in employment in a handful of markets. This represents the first recorded dip in employment for the European gaming industry since systematic data collection began.
To put the numbers into perspective, the €24 billion turnover represents roughly a 4‑5 % increase over the previous year’s total, suggesting that the market is still expanding, albeit at a slower pace than the rapid growth observed during the early 2020s. The rise in studio numbers—now exceeding 6,600—indicates that new entrants continue to see Europe as an attractive location for game development, driven by a combination of supportive public policies, a skilled multilingual workforce and a vibrant community of publishers and service providers.
Looking ahead, industry analysts expect that the talent shortage will remain a central challenge. While the number of studios is climbing, the supply of qualified developers, artists, designers and producers is not keeping pace, leading to heightened competition for skilled staff and, in some cases, prompting studios to outsource parts of their pipelines to neighboring countries. The report therefore recommends that governments and industry bodies double‑down on education and training initiatives, such as university programmes, apprenticeships and boot‑camps, to replenish the talent pipeline.
In addition to human‑capital concerns, the report highlights several structural trends shaping the European gaming landscape. First, the rise of live‑service and multiplayer titles is encouraging larger studios to expand their teams, while smaller indie developers are increasingly turning to episodic releases and cross‑platform launches to maximise reach.
Second, the growing importance of cloud‑based development tools and remote collaboration platforms is helping studios in peripheral regions—like Bulgaria and Cyprus—to punch above their weight, accessing global markets without the need for large physical offices. Finally, the inclusion of Bulgaria and Cyprus signals a broader geographic diversification of the European gaming ecosystem.
Both countries are leveraging lower operating costs, favorable tax regimes and growing local talent pools to attract foreign investment and nurture home‑grown studios. As these emerging hubs mature, they are likely to contribute an increasingly significant share of both employment and revenue to the EU’s overall gaming sector. In summary, the 2024 European Video Game Industry Insights Report paints a picture of a market that is still expanding in terms of revenue and studio count, even as it grapples with a plateau in workforce growth and the challenges that come with a tightening talent supply.
The sector’s resilience is evident in the continued rise of new studios across the continent and the emergence of new regional hubs, but sustained growth will depend on coordinated efforts to develop talent, support innovation and maintain a favourable business environment for both established players and newcomers alike.