Entitled The Game Industry of Poland, the study by the state-run Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) provides an in-depth look at the Polish video game development sector, state news agency PAP reported.
PARP CEO Dariusz Budrowski said the study aimed “to familiarise foreign audiences with the Polish game development sector - to present its potential, strengths and development prospects.”
He added: “Today, the Polish computer game industry is a synonym of quality, creativity and innovation.”
Budrowski also said that the Polish government would soon launch a new programme to support the international promotion of Poland’s creative industries, including the domestic game development sector, until 2029.
According to The Game Industry of Poland report, there are almost 500 video game makers and publishers in Poland, employing a total workforce of over 15,000 people.
Every year, the Polish game development industry releases more than 530 new game editions on a variety of platforms, the PAP news agency reported.
Nearly EUR 1.3 billion in annual sales
The sector’s sales have been growing steadily, except in 2021 when an 8-percent drop was recorded, according to the study.
Over the past five years, sales have increased by around 250 percent, to nearly EUR 1.3 billion, mainly thanks to export sales, PARP said.
The game development sector is even bigger in highly developed countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Finland and Sweden, the report’s authors noted.
Moreover, Polish customers are increasingly appreciative of games such as This War of Mine by 11 bit studios and the Cyphers Game gaming project by the state-run Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which is available free to users globally, the PAP news agency reported.
The PARP report noted that “games are becoming a medium that connects generations, like literature and cinema.”
According to the study, “the key regions for Polish game sales are North America, Europe, and Asia.”
PARP added: “Each of these three continents accounts for 20-40% of total sales, depending on relevance of a particular title. Generally, continents of the Northern Hemisphere account for 75% to 90% of total sales of games from Poland.”
Polish games attract players worldwide
Polish games are especially popular in the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as the United States and China, according to the study.
Other notable markets include Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Russia and Turkey.
Moreover, players abroad are attracted to Polish strategy and simulation games, according to PARP.
Polish games such as Timberborn, Against the Storm and Papetura have “won the hearts of players worldwide,” and are “strengthening the soft power of our country,” according to Kuba Wójcik of the Indie Games Poland Foundation.
To maintain its current rate of growth, Poland’s game development sector will need to hire almost 2,000 new employees a year, and Polish universities are increasingly offering game development programmes, according to PAP.
Polish game makers and publishers are meanwhile turning to foreign staff, who currently represent 14.5 percent of the industry’s total workforce, the study found.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, PARP