Even the coronavirus pandemic has not slowed down the growth of the Czech gaming industry. The turnover of the domestic gaming industry in 2021 reached a record 7.11 billion kroons, an increase of one third compared to last year’s values. This sector employs the largest number of employees in its history, and new development studios are also being created at a rapid pace. But the industry has been plagued by age-old problems such as a shortage of skilled workers. The data is based on the latest study on the state of the gaming industry in the Czech Republic, published by the Association of Czech Game Developers (GDA CZ).
Video game creators in the Czech Republic can claim record turnover for 2021. While other industries slowed down due to the effects of the coronavirus crisis, the Czech gaming industry, on the other hand, jumped 33% to 7.11 billion kroons. Last year, the turnover was 5.33 billion kroons. The positive trend of the rapid development of the domestic video game sector has been confirmed several times in a row.
The survey also showed that this is an industry with a huge added value, which can have not only a high turnover. The profit generated by Czech gaming companies in 2021 exceeded 2 billion crowns. The vast majority of games are sold mainly abroad – the industry itself is export-oriented, and more than 95% of Czech game production goes to the global market, which benefits the Czech economy. At the same time, the studio pays considerable taxes to the state.
Similarly, the number of game studios operating in the Czech Republic has grown. GDA CZ data shows that 14 new interactive entertainment companies were established last year. In total, we have more than 2,300 people working in gaming companies, which is 12% more than last year. In this regard, 411 new jobs were also created. More than half of game studios operate in Prague.
Due to several simultaneous crises, such as the war in Ukraine or rising energy prices, the gaming industry in the Czech Republic expects slower growth in 2022, but it should still remain positive. It is estimated that this year the turnover of Czech gaming companies could increase by 6% to 7.5 billion crowns.
The pandemic crisis did not particularly affect the number of released games. Last year, according to GDA CZ, a total of 55 Czech titles were published, 19 of which entered the market under so-called pre-access.
Rocket growth, old problems
However, the Czech gaming industry still suffers from age-old problems that cannot be solved. Despite high employee turnover, the sector suffers from a shortage of skilled labor. Czech universities cannot produce enough graduates. Only 20.4% of respondents said they had a formal university degree in game development. The vast majority of game developers acquired the knowledge they needed online (67.7%) and from their industry peers (63.7%).
Domestic employers often have to look for foreign workers. They already make up 38.5% of all employees of Czech game studios, and almost half of them come from EU countries. Last year it was already true that every third employee of the Czech game studio was a foreigner. The hardest jobs to fill are programmers (31%) and graphic designers (20%). Closely behind are animators (18%) and game designers (16%).
The domestic gaming sector has not received significant support from the state for a long time, despite the fact that it is a key industry within the cultural and creative sectors. In addition to subsidies that would help improve the competitiveness of small video game creators, there is a strong demand for other training programs dedicated to game development or links between game research and Czech universities.
You can find more information about the current state of the Czech gaming industry directly on the GDA website.
Source : Zing
