The European Media Industry Outlook Report was developed in the context of the media and audiovisual action plan, and it is also the response of the European Commission to the request of the Council of Ministers of Culture to gain insight into the EU media markets and their impact on European production.
At the presentation of the report, the European Commission (Lucia Recalde, DG Connect) indicated that its purpose is to investigate media trends – from technological advances to new patterns of production and consumption, as well as to analyze their potential and impact on the European media market and business methods.
The video game industry sector is recognized as one of the largest European media sectors, with available estimates indicating that around half of the European population plays video games. Similar to other audiovisual sectors, video games are becoming a major form of cultural expression, and as such increasingly contribute to shaping ideas and values.
The second chapter of the report is devoted to the video games industry, referring mainly to data on market size and demographics obtained from organizations such as Games in Europe, EGDF, Statista and Newzoo, and these are some of the data we highlight:
- EU market revenue is estimated at €23.48 billion, led by mobile and console games, noting that the overall EU share of the global market has declined from 8.7% (2017) to 7.7% (2021), according to findings of the Statista platform. Mobile games are cited as the main revenue driver;
- The number of 100,000 jobs is mentioned, as well as an increase in the number of new jobs by +12% (data from Games in Europe), as well as layoffs that were mostly within large companies;
- Included is a list of the leading video game companies worldwide, compiled by Newzoo. Those non-European are the dominant ones, while the sector mainly consists of small and micro enterprises. Of the large European companies, Ubisoft and the Embracer Group are most often mentioned;
- The value of gaming intellectual property is growing, as the sector behind the growing number of transmedia franchises;
- Virtual worlds and the potential that these games can have – Fortnite and Roblox – as examples of games in which virtual concerts were held, are also found as an example of how virtual worlds are used in the world of fashion to test the user experience;
- Augmented reality (AR), as well as VR, has been identified as a rapidly developing segment in several sectors, including video games. Non-European players dominate the market, but there is potential for European share to grow through investment in research and content production;
- Virtual production has gained momentum. The UK is positioning itself as a leader, however a lack of skills and educational institutions has been identified as a problem.
If you wish, you can view the entire report. This is an important step towards the appreciation of both the economic and the growing cultural influence that video games have on the European continent.