Türkiye’s online game business expanded by greater than 20% in 2024 to succeed in a market worth of $695 million, fueled primarily by cell gaming and the rising use of synthetic intelligence in improvement, business executives mentioned Friday.
Mobile video games accounted for 54% of the sector’s income, producing $375 million as younger Turks more and more flip to smartphones and tablets for leisure, Ozan Aydemir, chief govt officer of Gaming in Türkiye, informed Anadolu Agency (AA).
Aydemir mentioned that studios with cell expertise have begun focusing on the PC and console markets, driving a 133% year-on-year bounce within the variety of Turkish-made PC and console titles in 2024. While precise figures for the primary half of 2025 aren’t but out there, he famous a continued rise in independently launched video games and successes on world platforms, signaling additional development that would push business income towards $750 million this yr.
New sport studio formations additionally accelerated within the second half of 2024, aided by AI-powered design and coding instruments that decrease startup prices for impartial builders. “Small teams can now prototype, produce visuals and even write in-game dialogue faster and at lower cost,” Aydemir mentioned, including that 2025 might usher in “AI-first” video games constructed nearly completely with synthetic intelligence.
Türkiye has been one of many prime three recipients of funding in Europe and the Middle East since 2021. In 2024, it attracted $71.6 million in funding, reflecting each monetary development and worldwide confidence in Turkish expertise, Aydemir mentioned. Primary export markets embrace the United States, Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, with the latter benefiting from cultural proximity and a big mobile-gaming viewers.
For the sector to cement its world standing, Aydemir urged non-public and public stakeholders to give attention to long-term model constructing, early funding in advertising and marketing and person acquisition, and forging partnerships with worldwide publishers. He additionally referred to as for presidency incentives tailor-made to the video games business and nearer collaboration with instructional establishments to domesticate expert professionals.
Tansu Kendirli, president of the Turkish Game Developers and Publishers Association (OYUNDER), mentioned current tax exemptions have made the sector extra engaging to buyers, although latest revisions to incentive buildings intention to curb misuse. Kendirli famous that whereas bigger studios stay extra interesting to backers, AI has shifted a lot funding towards instruments that enhance user-acquisition effectivity, advert efficiency and graphics improvement.
Despite a slowdown in acquisitions since 2022 and rising prices for smaller firms following coverage modifications by Google and Apple, Kendirli mentioned Türkiye’s gaming business continues to develop quickly beneath the mixed forces of cell growth and AI innovation.
Source: www.dailysabah.com