Icelandic Gaming Industry overview

Companies and employees

 Betware

CCPGogogicMind GamesOn the RocksSaumaYmir mobile

Founded 1998199720062009200220042008

Employees 92

400162

43185 

576

In Iceland 54

220162

1055 

312

Gaming industry employees 2008

And we're hiring

120 to 180 jobs in next 12-18 months

...again, mostly CCP and BetWare

Icelandic Gaming Industry Turnover 2009

ISK 10.000.000.000 *

*CCP 9, BetWare 1 and some change ...

...ergo

It takes 10 years to make millions

Recognition

• CCP - Global MMO leader with dozens of awards, world record simultaneous players and growing 

• Betware - Vaxtasproti 2008,Clients in Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Canada

• Gogogic Nordic Game Awards nomiat Symbol6• On the Rocks - Legion of Amon No1 Most Anticipated by

AppGamer • MindGames was one of the top 10 finalists in the innovit

2009 Gulleggið competition

State of play in the States

Computer and Video Game Industry Tops $22 Billion in 2008   29. Jan 2008 ESA   U.S. computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2007 to $9.5 billion – more than tripling industry software sales since 1996. S Sixty-five percent of American households play computer or video games.  The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing games for 13 years. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40 years old. Forty percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent). In 2008, 26 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999. Thirty-six percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

Quebec success story

• Game industry subsidies since 1996

• Professional game education started 2000

• More than 500 titles created• Generic R&D tax credits return

rate 20-35%. • Montreal subsidises 30-37.5% of

games companies’ salaries for 5 years

• Income tax holidays for foreign experts of 75% for 5 years. 

Number of Employees

Prince Edward Island

• Population: 140.000• Gaming industry: 100+• Aiming for 500 in 5 years• 52.5% tax rebate• Tax credits processed weekly

Finland

• Tekes offers grants for R&D, and industry exports. Tekes also has demo funding for games.

• Finnvera (national financing company) offers non-games-specific loan guarantees.

• The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) has a small demo fund for games.

• POEM (The Northern Film and Media Foundation) offers non-game-specific funding for game projects.

Games industry in Finland

France

• National games production tax credit (CIJV) covers 20% of most production costs on games that pass a cultural test.  

• National Video Game Fund (FAJV) funds up to 35% of game prototypes. 

• R&D tax credits (CIR) rebate 5% of R&D expenditure • Paris has the publicly funded £220m venture fund which

currently funds 8 games projects out of a total of 100 candidates. 

Applicable game development funding

Based on

http://www.hermia.fi/neogames/

www.igi.is