The future of gaming in Europe - finding the “Angry Birds” of tomorrow
23 November 2011
Video games are a worldwide boom industry and Europe is one of the strongest regions for potential growth. And much of that is being driven by small businesses and young entrepreneurs, who could turn their ideas into something big. Take Angry Birds from Rovio which started out as a small mobile games development studio in Finland. Now it’s a worldwide phenomenon.
That’s just one example. VentureBeat estimates that Europe will have 17 per cent of the worldwide games market by 2014, giving it the biggest market share after Asia. VentureBeat also says: “Our forecasts are that online and mobile games should grow total video games market size to $87B.”
That’s a good point: online, mobile and social networking innovation has a lot to do with the games market’s expansion. A key enabler is cloud computing, which means that start-ups from countries with small domestic markets can distribute their games worldwide. Never before have consumers had access to such a wide variety of games, at any time and any place.
Our BizSpark programme – global programme to support start-ups by giving them access to technology and connecting them with key industry players - gives a chance to work with some of the most innovative games companies in Europe. A good example is Mobilebits from Germany, whose Delta Engine works across multiple mobile platforms, designed to make it easy for games developers to make their ideas available to the widest possible number of users. We’ll be watching their progress with interest.
Copenhagen company Roozz has developed cloud-based technology that in only 48 hours, can convert software applications and PC games to run online and in any browser on the Windows platform. Users can then run software applications and PC games without having to install them. Pretty cool stuff.
But it’s not just about making games available: great ‘gameplay’ has a lot to do with driving customer interest. One of the latest companies to come to our attention is Flying Turtle Software, behind which is a team of talented and young people who are being given lots of support by our Portuguese BizSpark team. Watch a trailer of their upcoming game “A Walk in the Dark” on Youtube.
We’re also seeing games expand outside of entertainment into other walks of life. We’ve previously written about Belgian-based Fishing Cactus who are pioneering ‘serious games’, which are used to educate and inform people. Another example is Norwegian Turbo Tape Games, whose portfolio ranges from teaching people about digestion to a fun tutorial about the art museums of Bergen.
Similarly, Netherlands-based Silverfit has developed an ingenious games solution to help with geriatric rehabilitation. This ‘virtual’ approach gives elderly patients a safe environment, as well as helping to make rehabilitation more enjoyable. Over the past couple of years, it has won some awards, including Dutch Best Serious Game and a European Innovative Games Award.
The games industry is hugely competitive, but it is a real ‘sweet spot’ in the European economy with lots of export opportunity. Programs like BizSpark are helping to nurture games developers, but we also need governments, academia and industry in general to do all they can to help these start-ups achieve their dreams. After all, who knows who the ‘Angry Birds’ of tomorrow will be.
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