A delegation of 17 leading international companies from the video game industry are visiting the islands these days, as part of a mission to explore the potential of the archipelago for their growth. The mission is organised by Proexca.
The video game development studios come from USA (Amazon Games; Artic7; Electronic Arts), Canada (Strategy First), Japan (Kodansha VR Lab; Picona; Unseen; Wildman; MetAI LLC; Miracle Mile), South Korea (Smilegate Holdings; Krafton; Neople); and European countries such as Netherlands (Guerrilla Games), United Kingdom (Sega Europe), Denmark (Sharkmob) or Poland (CD Projekt Red) and are learning about the advantages of establishing themselves in the archipelago as a business hub for the growth and development of their projects.
The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, received the delegation at the Presidency and conveyed to them the "importance that the Government gives to the development of the video game sector", as well as the "strong commitment of the Canarian institutions".
In his presentation, Clavijo listed the advantages that the Canary Islands offer for the establishment of companies in this industry. Among them, he recalled the creation during this legislature of the Directorate General of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries, specifically aimed at strengthening the cultural and creative sectors of the islands, which together with Proexca achieve a perfect tandem to respond to the demands of professionals.
On the other hand, Clavijo stated that "they will not find, so close to Africa, being Europe, any context more fiscally competitive", highlighting that the islands have "the most favourable fiscal tax context in the entire European Union".
Finally, the Canarian president highlighted the importance of the talent that exists in the Canary Islands, the public universities, the training, the attraction and the qualified personnel, which become the best allies for the development of projects. And, he added, how the creative industries sector represented 2.9% of GDP in 2022, a growth higher than the European average and with "a clear projection to become a fundamental element of the Canarian economy".
The video game sector, within the animation and live image industry, is one of the most promising in the Canary Islands. So much so, that it is one of the sectors designated as strategic by the Canarian executive, to promote its development and thus diversify the economy of the islands.
In addition, it is an industry that generates qualified, quality employment and promotes territorial sustainability. At the international level, the growth of this industry is exponential, the demand is requiring companies to respond to the new challenges and needs of a growing and increasingly demanding public.
In this sense, the Canary Islands has been able to present the competitive advantages that the islands have compared to other territories; such as the solid ecosystem, the public-private relationship of the sector, the talent and the training development programmes for professionals, the quality of life, the connections, the privileged tricontinental position and the unique taxation endorsed by Europe with physical and legal security.
During the week, this international delegation will visit both Tenerife and Gran Canaria, in order to learn about the possibilities of future development in conjunction with the companies installed here. Service providers, collaborators or professionals who provide a vision of the industry landscape to advance in common and growth strategic lines.
Synergies will be the key to this reverse mission in which the aim is not only to attract investment to the islands, but also the growth and external promotion of Canarian companies, so that they can internationalise their projects.
The Canarian companies that have joined this mission are Boombox, Broken Bird Games, Daydream Software, Drakhar Studio, Eteru Studio, Foxter Studio, Promineo Group, Loco Players, Mindiff Technology Canarias, Moonmana Studios, Nieko Play, No Brakes Games, Orbisnauta, PlayMedusa, Promineo Studios, Quantum Box, Rarepixels, Rising Pixel, Synergy Games, The Game Kitchen and Triple O Games.
