Minister-President Jambon visits Flanders’ growing game sector at gamescom in Cologne

Cologne, 23 August 2023 – The Flemish game sector is experiencing strong growth, both in terms of the number of companies and jobs. This is shown by the 2022 figures, which the Flemish  Games Association (FLEGA) announces today during  the gamescom fair in  Cologne, in the presence of Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon. It is the first time a Flanders Minister-President      visits the largest game fair in the world. This underlines the importance that the Flemish government attaches to this innovative sector, which has therefore received in recent years additional support measures.

The new figures that FLEGA announces today at gamescom in Cologne show that the     game sector in Flanders had no fewer than 90 companies in 2022: an increase of 18% compared to 2021, when 76 companies were active.

Together they accounted for a turnover of EUR 70 million and 776 employees. In terms of full-time equivalents (FTE), employment was 12% higher than the previous year. Most studios state that this upward trend will continue in 2023. An average game needs about two years of development time before it comes on the market. The impact of the number of new Flemish companies will therefore only show itself in the turnover figures within two years.

The fact that Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon is  visiting gamescom in Cologne today, the  largest game fair in the  world, once again shows the ambition to further expand the gaming industry in Flanders and to position itself even more strongly internationally.

At the VAF Game Fund, the number of support applications increased and prototype support was granted to brand new Flemish studios. So there are  many new Flemish video games in the making and they will become (more) visible in the coming months and years.

FLEGA, Video Games Federation Belgium and the regional sector federations in Brussels and Wallonia (grouped under BelgianGames) also present the key figures for 2022 for the whole country. When we look at it per region, we notice that 67% of Belgian game companies are located in Flanders. 72% of the FTEs work in Flemish companies and no less than 82% of the national turnover comes from Flanders.

This year 15 Flemish companies present have a boot at the Belgian pavilion at gamescom. This pavilion is a joint organisation of Belgian Games and the regional agencies for international business, Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), AWEX and hub.brussels.

In addition to FIT be , the delegation that  accompanies  MP Jambon also includes representatives of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund , Flanders Technology & Innovation, the Flemish Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) and the Department of Culture, Youth and Media.

Also some “classic” audiovisual/animation companies from Flanders come  to visit.

• AlterEyes, XR studio from Hasselt. Applies immersive technology in both games as well as other sectors, including broader entertainment. Develops currently their first VR game Big Shots. Awarded as a rising start-up in Flanders.

• Cyborn, game studio with a solid track record in film, motion capture and animation. Launched their VR game Hubris at the end of last year with great success. Recently, the PlayStation VR 2 version of that game also appeared.

• Happy Volcano, studio known for literary game The Almost Gone (in collaboration with author and screenwriter Joost Vandecasteele) as well as the unique arcade racing game You Suck At Parking. Winner of multiple Belgian Game Awards at the most recent edition in June.

• Crazy Games, wildly popular platform for browser games. State in the TOP2000 of daily most visited websites in the world.

• Sunday Group, makes merchandise for video games.

• Triangle Factory, creator of the hugely popular VR games HyperDash and Breachers. Purveyor of VR games to Telenet The Park Playground, including the De Mol VR. Creator of the mobile games for the VRT1 quiz show Switch and Play 4's The Smartest Man In The World.

These are the Flemish companies that are also present (without a stand) at gamescom:

• Anaxanthia

• Cybernetic Walrus

• Day and Night Solutions

• Flanders Game Hub

• MoonMonster Studios

• Realm Architect

• StickyTable

• Tifogroup

• Vanbo

Almost all these companies are members of FLEGA, the Flemish sector federation, active since 2013.

• Trade fair days for professionals: from Wednesday 23 August to Friday 25 August (consumers can visit the fair until Sunday 28 August).

• Belgian exhibition stand at gamescom :  Hall 4.1 of the Köln Messe, corridor A31 - B40: www.gamescom.global

• The exhibition stand was made possible on the Flemish side thanks to these partners: Flanders Investment & Trade, FLEGA and VAF Game Fund

• David Verbruggen, General Manager FLEGA, +32 473 96 85 67

• Olivier Van Raemdonck, woordvoerder Kabinet minister-president Jan Jambon, +32 470 99 91 01    

• Tine Van Valckenborgh, press officer Flanders Investment & Trade, +32 499 24 60 93