In 2024 the European video‑game market posted a combined turnover of roughly €24 billion, a figure that underscores the sector’s continuing economic significance. According to the European Video Game Industry Insights Report – a joint publication from the European Games Development Association (EGDF) and Video Games Europe (VGA) – the continent was home to more than 6,600 development studios, collectively employing in excess of 95,000 individuals. The data presented in the report are based on the most recent year for which comprehensive information could be gathered.
The methodology involves each of the 28 EGDF member organisations first compiling national‑level statistics, which are then harmonised into a single European overview. This layered approach ensures that country‑specific nuances are captured while still allowing for a coherent pan‑European picture.
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 active studios. While the supply of qualified personnel appears to have levelled off after several years of expansion, the count of studios grew somewhere between five and ten percent compared with the previous year.
This suggests that existing talent is being redistributed across a larger number of smaller or medium‑sized enterprises, rather than being concentrated in a few large players. Certain markets illustrate this trend vividly.
Finland, Italy and the Czech Republic each reported modest but steady increases in their employment figures, indicating that local ecosystems are still capable of attracting and retaining developers despite the broader talent plateau. In Poland, the sector reached its highest employment levels within the EU, and the country also led the region in the number of new titles released, with 450 fresh games hitting the market in 2024. The United Kingdom, another major hub, recorded a workforce of 28,516 people, cementing its position as one of the continent’s largest gaming labour markets. The 2024 report also marked the first appearance of two previously untracked economies: 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 location near Romania and Türkiye, both of which contribute significant human capital to the regional supply chain.
EGDF officials emphasised that the findings demonstrate resilience in the face of challenging macro‑economic conditions. "The report shows that, despite a difficult environment, several countries experienced growth both in revenue and in the number of studios, which together lifted the overall European indicators," the association wrote. However, the narrative is not uniformly positive.
The same statement acknowledges that layoffs, corporate consolidations and a modest decline in employment in certain jurisdictions have introduced a degree of volatility that had not been seen before. In fact, for the first time since systematic tracking began, some nations recorded a slight dip in employment numbers, signalling the emergence of a contraction phase in parts of the sector. The mixed picture painted by the 2024 data points to several underlying dynamics. On one hand, the proliferation of studios may be driven by lower barriers to entry, such as the increasing accessibility of game‑engine technology, cloud‑based development tools and a growing ecosystem of indie‑focused funding programmes.
On the other hand, the stagnation of the talent pool could be a symptom of broader demographic trends, competition from other digital industries, or a lag in the pipeline of specialised education and training. Policy makers and industry bodies are therefore faced with a dual challenge: fostering an environment that continues to encourage the creation of new studios while simultaneously addressing the talent shortage.
Potential strategies include expanding university curricula that focus on game design, programming, art and sound, as well as incentivising apprenticeship schemes and cross‑border mobility for skilled workers. Looking ahead, the EGDF and VGA plan to monitor these trends closely, with the next edition of the Insights Report slated for release in 2025.
Stakeholders will be watching to see whether the current expansion of studios translates into sustainable employment growth, or whether the sector will need to consolidate further to adapt to a tighter labour market. Regardless of the outcome, the 2024 figures confirm that Europe remains a vibrant and economically significant player in the global gaming landscape, with a diverse set of countries contributing to a collective turnover that rivals many other entertainment industries.