Barcelona stands out in Europe for its connectivity and creative ecosystem
Catalonia accounts for 35% of the video game production in Spain, leading the ranking ahead of Madrid, Andalusia, and the Valencian Community, standing out in the field of mobile games.
This was explained in statements to Europa Press by the Director General of the Spanish Video Game Association (AEVI), José María Moreno, who argued that talent, institutional support, quality of life, and the creative ecosystem make Catalonia more attractive.
Moreno emphasized the amount of talent coming out of Catalan universities, with about 20 centers offering courses related to this industry, which has grown by 3% in Spain in the last year.
For this reason, and thanks to events like the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Catalonia, and specifically Barcelona, have positioned themselves as very attractive destinations to develop the sector, especially related to mobile games.
An example of this is the North American company Scopely, which recently opened a new creative and technological «hub» in Barcelona with 8,500 square meters and 700 professionals, half of whom are foreigners.
It is the largest video game company in Spain in terms of employees, with 1,000 workers distributed between Barcelona, Seville, and those working remotely, focusing on free mobile games.
«There are more and more companies that believe that if they are not in Barcelona, they are missing out on something,» explained Hugo Pibernat, technology Playgami and head of Scopely in Barcelona, in statements to Europa Press.
In his opinion, Barcelona unequivocally leads the production of video games in Europe and stands out worldwide thanks to its connectivity, as many recognized companies have been successful with their projects.
In this sense, he noted that the video game sector in Barcelona is in a healthy moment due to the opening of «very interesting new companies,» although some companies have experienced numerous layoffs in recent months.
Barcelona, international hub
Looking five years ahead, Pibernat envisions a city increasingly internationalized: «Now we have some companies in Europe, the United States, and Asia, I think that within five years almost all the major mobile companies in the world will have a significant presence in the city.»
According to Moreno, the increase in international companies must be accompanied by supporting small Spanish video game studios with tax incentives or grants.