The turnover of domestic companies engaged in the development of computer games last year increased by 17 percent to 5.32 billion crowns. It should rise another tenth to 5.8 billion this year. This was stated by representatives of the Association of Czech Game Developers at today’s press conference.
“The gaming industry has been successful not only because of the pandemic, but it is also because several games have achieved worldwide success. In 44 percent of studies, the coronavirus pandemic had no or a neutral effect, 18 percent of companies reported a rather positive impact, and 38 percent reported a rather negative effect.
Last year, Czech developers released a total of 58 games, of which 16 were not fully completed, ie in the stage of so-called early access, and in addition, 40 additions and extensions to existing games were released. 182 game titles are in preparation. Two-thirds of companies focus on PC and console games, over 40 percent on mobile games. The most successful titles were Beat Saber, Arma3, DayZ, and American Truck Simulator.
There are 118 game studios in the Czech Republic, seven of which were established last year. They employ a total of 2,074 workers, a year-on-year increase of 18.5 percent. Last year, 330 new jobs were created in the field. About 73 percent of studios employ up to ten people, large studios with more than 50 employees make up seven percent of the total. About 53 percent of companies operate in Prague and 24 percent in Brno. Every third worker in the gaming industry is a foreigner.
Studies estimate that it will create 380 new jobs this year. When recruiting people, the biggest problem is filling the position of programmer, graphic artist, illustrator, and game designer.