The Czech video game business is one of a few industries in the country to thrive during the coronavirus pandemic. For more than two-thirds of Czech companies engaged in computer games and animations, 2020 was better than 2019. They saw more significant interest in their products and also had higher sales. They are also optimistic about the future of the industry. According to a survey by the Creatoola platform, they are looking for more reinforcements, which stated this in a press release today.
Some Czech studies operating in the field have achieved significant international success in recent years. The game industry belongs to the creative industries and, similarly to the Czech world in recent years. There was talk of the Czech Republic in connection with the student Oscar for the film Daughter. This was also necessary thanks to the video game Beat Saber, developed by the Czech studio Beat Games; across all available platforms, it has sold four million copies.
At the end of 2020, 19 leading Czech companies in animation and computer games took part in the survey. Fourteen of them are looking for new people. Of the companies surveyed, 70 percent said that their situation and sales were better last year than the previous year. Two companies from this group even saw a significant improvement. Another 15 percent do not perceive any large year-on-year shift. The remaining 15 percent experienced a deterioration, but mostly only a slight one.
In the gaming world, the situation of all respondents improved during 2020. Improvements and the need to hire more people also prevail in animation. The survey shows that if something hinders the expansion of the addressed studies, it is often a lack of experts. Programmers, animators, editors, or lighting designers are wanted.
Most of the surveyed companies also mentioned the number of salaries in an anonymous survey. Although they do not increase them compared to previous years, they are significantly above average. Some wages in the field exceed substantially 100,000 crowns per month, most are in the tens of thousands per month, and few respondents said that the monthly salary for new people in professional positions would not reach 35,000 crowns.
Creatoola is a platform that helps with orientation in the world of animation, games, and visual effects in the Czech Republic. The Association of Animated Film initiated its establishment, and its partners are the Brno Game Cluster, the Anifilm Festival, and the Game Access conference.