A delegation of five (5) Philippine game development companies generated an initial USD1.67 million in export sales (actual and potential) and 71 more trade leads following the conduct of 26 B2B meetings during the country’s participation in the Nordic Game 2023 on May 23-26 in Malmö, Sweden.
Nordic Game is Europe’s leading game developer conference. It gathers regional and international industry professionals and executives in the game development community. The event features various activities, including speaking engagements from leading industry figures in the region and renowned global experts, business matching meetings, and trade fairs.
This first Philippine participation in Nordic Game was organized by the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), in collaboration with the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP).
The game development companies which comprised the Philippine delegation include: GameOps Inc., Neun Farben Corporation, Mata Technologies Inc., Seaversity Inc., and Taktyl Studios.
Seaversity Inc., a company from Cebu, was given the opportunity to speak on the specialized market of serious gaming or the simulation world to game developers.
The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the following studios: Game Habitat (a community-focused non-profit game development organization in southern Sweden), Massive Entertainment (a Ubisoft Studio), Tarsier Studios, Avalanche Studios Group, and The Game Assembly (a higher vocational education for game development).
“This initiative is part of the country’s efforts to build linkages with possible European clients and diversify export markets for Philippine game development companies. Through the support of ARISE Plus Philippines Project funded by the European Union, Philippine companies were able to showcase their capabilities in Europe’s major game development conference and establish business connections with prospective clients,” DTI Trade Promotions Group (TPG) Assistant Secretary and Officer-in-Charge Glenn G. Peñaranda said.
“We are confident that with sustained initiatives to develop and promote Philippine capabilities in game development, the Philippines can position itself as a major player in the game development sector globally,” he added.
For her part, Arise+ Project Manager at the International Trade Centre Sylvie Cochin expressed, “This initiative has the potential to truly diversify export markets for the gaming industry of the Philippines.”
The ARISE Plus Philippines project aims to improve the Philippines’ trade performance, competitiveness, and economic integration. ITC provides full support to Philippine companies through training and coaching on export marketing, and on building market linkages with the European and other markets.
DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual noted, “The government is set to launch the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) 2023–2028 on June 15. Through the PEDP, we aim to assist more exporters and aspiring exporters in building and strengthening their linkages in international markets, and in capacitating them to meet the demands of their customers by implementing initiatives that are attuned and responsive to the needs of Philippine businesses. We aim to make them competitive global players.”
Preparations are now ongoing for the next mission to Gamescom 2023 in August in Cologne, Germany.
