Italy's Games Industry Sees 50% Growth in 2022

Italy's gaming sector employed over 2,400 professionals in 2022, marking a significant 50% increase from the previous year. Although the number may seem modest, it underscores the industry's rapid expansion. According to a recent report by the Italian trade association IIDEA, presented at the First Playable event in Florence, the introduction of tax incentives for game development in May 2021 has sparked substantial growth in the Italian gaming market. The report highlights that 20% of companies now have between 11 and 20 employees, a 5% rise from 2021. Furthermore, 69% of surveyed companies plan to hire more staff or collaborate with new partners over the next two years, representing a 10% increase from the previous year. In terms of workforce demographics, 50% of employees are between 30 and 35 years old, while 32% are between 25 and 29, and 10% are between 36 and 40. Only 7% of the workforce is above 40. Women account for 24% of the industry's workforce, a 1% increase from the previous year. The largest area of employment is art, comprising 30% of roles, followed by technology (29%), design (18%), management (12%), and general support (11%). The industry remains largely self-funded, with 86% of businesses relying on self-financing, although this represents a drop from 93% in 2021. Additionally, 30% of companies receive publisher support, 29% secure public funding, 19% are backed by private equity, and 13% operate through fundraising. The majority of companies (84%) develop PC games, while 54% focus on mobile titles, and 38% work on console games. Despite the growth, the industry remains relatively small, with only 22% of game development companies reporting a turnover of over €500,000.