The European video‑game market posted a total turnover of €24 billion in 2024, a figure that reflects the combined revenues of more than 6,600 development studios employing upwards of 95,000 professionals across the region. These numbers come from the European Video Game Industry Insights Report, a joint publication by the European Games Development Association (EGDF) and Video Games Europe (VGA). The report, which captures data from the calendar year 2024, was compiled through a two‑stage process: each of the 28 EGDF member organisations first produced a national‑level analysis, and those individual submissions were then merged to create a comprehensive European snapshot.
One of the most striking take‑aways from the study is the divergence between talent‑pool dynamics and studio formation. While the overall growth of the continent’s skilled workforce appears to have stalled – a rare occurrence in an industry that usually enjoys a steady influx of new talent – the number of active studios continued to rise, expanding by somewhere between five and ten percent over the previous year.
This suggests that existing talent is being redistributed into new ventures rather than simply increasing in absolute terms. Countries such as Finland, Italy, and the Czech Republic illustrated this pattern, each reporting modest but consistent gains in the size of their employment bases despite the broader stagnation. Poland emerged as the clear leader in terms of human resources, employing the highest number of individuals in game development and publishing across the EU. Polish studios also produced the greatest volume of new titles, with 450 releases recorded during the year.
The United Kingdom, another major hub, reported a workforce of 28,516 people, underscoring its continued relevance as a centre for both development and publishing activities. The 2024 edition of the report also marked the first inclusion of two previously untracked markets: Bulgaria and Cyprus. Cyprus, despite its relatively small size, generated €4.3 billion in turnover, earning the description of the "main game industry hub in terms of combined revenue" within the report.
Bulgaria, meanwhile, was highlighted as an "important regional hub surrounded by key European game industry talent" – a nod to its strategic position near talent‑rich neighbours such as Romania and Türkiye. The EGDF’s commentary on the findings paints a nuanced picture. On the one hand, the data confirms that, even in a period characterised by economic uncertainty and supply‑chain pressures, several European nations managed to sustain growth in both revenue streams and the establishment of new studios. This dual‑track progress helped lift the overall European indicators, reinforcing the sector’s resilience.
On the other hand, the report does not shy away from acknowledging the challenges that have begun to surface. The industry experienced a wave of layoffs, corporate consolidations, and a measurable decline in employment in certain markets.
For the first time since systematic tracking began, a few countries recorded a slight dip in the number of people employed in game‑related roles. These setbacks signal the emergence of a potential inflection point, where the sector must grapple with the consequences of market saturation, rising production costs, and shifting consumer preferences. To put the numbers into perspective, consider that the €24 billion turnover represents roughly 0.6 % of the European Union’s total GDP, a modest yet significant contribution given the sector’s relatively young age.
The 6,600‑studio count translates to an average of about 14 employees per studio, although the distribution is far from uniform – flagship studios in Poland and the UK can employ several hundred staff, while many indie outfits operate with just a handful of developers. Looking ahead, analysts anticipate that the next few years will be defined by how the industry adapts to the twin pressures of talent scarcity and the need for larger, more complex projects.
Investment in education, upskilling programmes, and cross‑border collaboration could help mitigate the talent‑base stagnation, while strategic mergers and acquisitions may reshape the studio landscape, potentially leading to a more consolidated market. In summary, the 2024 European Video Game Industry Insights Report offers a mixed but ultimately hopeful outlook: revenue generation and studio formation remain robust, even as the sector confronts its first signs of employment contraction.
Stakeholders across the continent will need to balance growth ambitions with sustainable workforce development to ensure that Europe continues to be a vibrant hub for game creation and innovation.