The video game developers in the country recorded a turnover of EUR 332 million last year, up 25% compared to the previous year, according to the yearly survey of the Romanian Game Developers Association (RGDA). This is the highest year-to-year growth since 2014, RGDA said.

A total of 6,800 people currently work in the sector, and 68% of the 222 studios active in the country said they would continue hiring. Meanwhile, 26% of the studios are open to running internship programs. Some 60% of the new hires this year were for junior positions. The hybrid work format is preferred by 42% of the companies, with only 21% opting for office work, the survey showed.

The number of games developed with the participation of studios from Romania increased as well, the RGDA survey notes. Among the developed games are FIFA 23 (Electronic Arts Romania) and Metal Hellsinger (Funcom Romania). Assassin’s Creed Mirage (Ubisoft Romania) and EA Sports FC 24 (Electronic Arts Romania) were in development last year and were launched this fall. Among the games developed by independent Romanian studios are Trinity Fusion (Angry Mob Games), Wild Things: Animal Adventures (Amber Studio), Bear and Breakfast (Gummy Cat) and Last Days of Lazarus (Darkania Works, GrimTalin).

Regarding the acquisitions and funding activity, Romanian studio Metagame was taken over by Fortis last year, while Amber attracted a USD 20 million investment from Emona Capital.

“Last year, the video game development industry in Romania recorded its most significant growth in history. The turnover tripled in nine years - a significant factor of the interest shown by investors and multinationals in the local sectors. The sustained growth of the industry’s productivity and the positive evolution of the hiring rate confirms our potential as a regional hub,” Cătălin Butnariu, the RGDA president, said.

The top ten Romanian studios in 2022 by turnover were Electronic Arts Romania, Ubisoft Romania, Amber Studio, Gameloft Romania, Green Horse Games, Playtika, Quantic Lab, Super Hippo Games/Nutaku, eRepublik and Whyttest.

(Photo: Mykhailo Polenok/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com