Polish gamedev is growing in strength

Article

Polish gamedev is growing in strength

06.02.2024

Poland has become a leader in the production of games. Gamedev is also one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy. Revenues are growing, and the industry already employs about 15 thousand people. Polish companies are valued for their innovation and the quality of their production. Thanks to this they have also gained the ability to compete in the global market.

„The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”, “This War of Mine”, “Dying Light”, “Painkiller”, “Cyberpunk 2077”, “Frostpunk” or the “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” series are just some of what Polish game developers have to offer. These games are known globally, and the Polish gamedev (game development) industry currently has a strong position on the global gaming scene. The prospects for its further development are promising. According to the estimates of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency’s analysts in a special report “The Creative Industries. The Gamedev sector“, the global value of the industry in 2024 is expected to reach approx. USD 218 billion.

Currently, there are about 500 companies that produce and publish games in Poland. Within a decade, their number has more than doubled. These are both large international studios (16 of them employ over 200 people) as well as independent game developers. The entire sector already employs 15,000 people in Poland, which makes our gamedev currently number three in Europe – after the United Kingdom and France. Polish companies have more employees than German or Spanish ones.

Interestingly, 25 per cent of employees in the industry in Poland are women and 8 per cent are foreigners. Technical universities and educational centres that educate in more than 250 fields of study related to the IT sector and programming also come to the rescue.

More and more players

One of the best-known and most highly valued companies is CD-Projekt, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In October, the company’s capitalization amounted to PLN 12.6 billion. Besides, gamedev is very widely represented on the main floor of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and on the NewConnect market – at the end of September there were 90 companies.

When looking at finances, it is worth noting that exports account for 96 per cent of Polish gaming revenues. The main direction of foreign expansion is the United States. The second and third places are occupied by the markets of the European Union and the United Kingdom. The year 2020 was a breakthrough, when more games went to foreign markets than to the domestic market.

Anyway, the pandemic has been extremely kind to the gaming sector. Research conducted by Polish Gamers Research has shown that interest in games has increased during lockdowns. According to PAIH analysts, the estimated number of players in Poland exceeded 20 million in 2020.

According to experts, the Polish gaming industry has made good use of the opportunity brought especially by the years 2020-2021. The increased number of hours spent by gamers playing their favorite entertainment translated into sales of many titles.

As we read in the third edition of the report “The Game Industry of Poland“, published by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, the total revenues of the industry over the last five years increased by 250 percent. In 2022, they amounted to EUR 1.286 billion. In this case, however, the situation is different than in the area of employment. There are no precise estimates for other countries, which means that in the case of sales, Poland may only occupy the 6th-8th place in Europe (there is no complete data for two markets). In terms of revenue, Polish gamedev companies still have some work to do.

What is important is the specificity of revenues, related to the game release cycle. Usually, the process takes 2 to 3 years, leading to periodic fluctuations in revenue. It is also not uncommon for Polish studios to release titles that perform less well than expected. This does not change the fact that Polish gamdev will grow in the coming years. Further debuts on NewConnect are also expected.

Without a doubt, games have become one of Poland’s export hits. As PAIH analysts point out, games are the only Polish product from the cultural sector that is more often exported than imported. What’s more, Poland is one of the few countries in the world that has managed to achieve this.

Support for Polish companies

A comprehensive approach to the industry can be found in a special report “The Creative Industries the Gamedev Sector” by PAIH and on the Agency’s Trade.gov.pl portal. This is also where you can find information about the latest developments related to the gamedev industry.

It is worth remembering that PAIH supports the process of establishing business relations by Polish entrepreneurs and their expansion abroad. On the other hand, on the Trade.gov.pl portal, companies can set up their virtual business cards. This can be the first step to successfully completing the company’s verification process before starting cooperation with a foreign contractor.