The market for video games in Italy he kept sales stable in 2022according to the annual report compiled by IIDEA, which confirms a turnover of 2.2 billion euros, which can count on 14.2 million users, while turnover (+30%) and employees (+50%) grow ).
Compared to the numbers of 2021, the sector has undergone a minimum drop, equal to 1.2%, due in particular to the difficulties of procurement of the consoles (-7.7%) but compensated by a growth of the physical software (+5.2%). There were 14.2 million Italian gamers between the ages of 6 and 64 in 2022, with an average age of 29.8 years.
Over 80% of users are of age and the preferred gaming platform is mobile devices (69.7%), followed by consoles (45.8%) and PCs (38%). The average time dedicated to gaming decreased to 7.52 hours per week, normalizing after the quarantine period.
At an industrial level, in 2022, four out of ten companies fall within the definition of SMEs and companies with between ten and twenty employees increase, while the turnover of production companies travels between 130 and 150 million euros, marking a +30 % compared to the previous year and confirming the great growth potential of the sector.
The European market, which remains a point of reference, is downsized (from 60% to 43% on an annual basis) to the benefit of the North American one, which goes from 25% to 40%. Italy’s weight in this situation remains limited (7%), albeit slightly increasing. The number of production workers grew by 50% (from 1,600 to 2,400), with 83% under the age of 36, while one in four is a woman.
77% of the turnover derives from the B2C market (+9%), while 75% of Italian developers prefer the PC platform, with mobile (50%) and console (40%) to follow. We continue to rely on equity capital for the financing of activities (86%) but public (29% against 24% in 2021) and private (19% against 9%) financing are increasing. In particular, the impact of the tax credit and the launch of vertical acceleration programs is perceived.
“The report confirms the importance of the video game industry in the country’s digital, cultural and creative economy. Never before, also in the light of the recent Resolution of the European Parliament approved last November, does a national strategy for development appear necessary of the sector, so that Italy can assume a leadership role”, declared Marco Saletta, President of IIDEA.
“The introduction of the tax credit for the production of video games represents an important stimulus for the growth of Italian industry. But for further consolidation, a national support policy for SMEs and talents to be developed in our country becomes fundamental. The collaboration with the world of education, video games can be a very useful tool for students’ digital literacy, transversal skills and creative thinking.”
“An increasingly expanding industry, with strong potential yet to be expressed, capable of fueling culture through an innovative language. Well aware of the strategic elements that characterize the entrepreneurial realities of our country in the video game sector, the Ministry said Undersecretary of State Lucia Borgonzoni, “we pay great attention to these as well as to all the new forms of expression of Italian creativity, which we support (and Italy is among the few countries in the world to do so) with the tax credit instrument. We are working and we will continue to work to put in place a series of measures dedicated to cultural and creative enterprises with a view to protecting and promoting Made in Italy in the world.”
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