The Spanish Association of Video Game and Entertainment Software Producers and Developers (DEV) recently released the tenth edition of its White Book, which sheds light on the challenges faced by Spanish video game studios in finding qualified professional profiles. According to the report, 55 percent of studios have difficulty hiring professionals, with logic and game programming, and technology being the most challenging profiles to fill.
Spain has a thriving video game industry, with 790 active studios located primarily in Catalonia (30%) and Madrid (21%). The turnover for the industry was valued at €1,383 million in 2022, showing an impressive 8% increase from the previous year. However, despite this growth, only 1% of studios manage to invoice over €50 million while 51% invoice below €200,000.
The Spanish video game industry directly employed 9,261 people in 2022, with 93% having indefinite contracts. Most studios have less than ten employees; 68% have less than five employees. Large firms employ just over half of the workers in the sector.
A significant portion of workers in the Spanish video game industry hold a degree or training cycle higher degree. Programming profiles are particularly popular among workers with 83% holding such qualifications. However, despite this high level of education among workers in the sector, many studios still face challenges when it comes to hiring qualified professional profiles. Logic and game programming as well as technology profiles are among those that are most difficult to fill due to shortages of skilled candidates.
When it comes to gaming platforms gamers prefer PC for gaming followed by mobile platforms like Android and iOS PlayStation 5 is one of their top choices along with Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S Steam is also their go-to platform for purchasing games followed by Epic Games Store and Itch
