For those not in the know, it may seem curious that Casual Connect is hosting a conference in Israel (19-21 October, Tel Aviv). However, famously nicknamed ‘The Startup Nation’, Israel has long been known as a great supporter of startups and new businesses - and the gaming field is no exception. Eti Nachum, CEO of BlogsRelease, tells more.
Culture of Innovation
Despite being a small country whose entire population numbers less than the city of New York, Israeli innovators have made a name for themselves in the technological and business worlds. Startups thrive and develop with the help of accelerators, investors, and the unique drive to contribute the next best idea. The astronomic rise of Israel’s economy despite its size, age and geopolitics even inspired a whole book on the subject.
There have been several attempts to explain this phenomenon, but whether it is the steady influx of immigrant talent, a startup-friendly government, the unifying culture of mandatory military service, or other factors, there is no question that creativity and innovation remain highly valued and encouraged.
Booming Gaming Market
A large number of well-known and influential international games developers hail from Israel, including Side-Kick, Playtika, TabTale, Plarium, and Funtactix, just to name a few. According to VentureBeat, Israel took five of the top 10 spots on the list of the fastest-growing gaming companies on Facebook.
In the past few years the Israeli government has started recognizing the Israeli gaming market for the hugely lucrative business that it is (worth around $730 million), and followed up with funding more accelerators and encouraging further games development. Israel even has a non-profit association specifically for the digital games industry (GameIS), dedicated to supporting Israeli game developers as well as hosting the annual Games Industry Conference. With the support of the government and business community, it is not surprising that the business of gamedev is flourishing.
Looking To The Future
Israel’s successful economic streak doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, and the outlook for game developers in particular is exciting. With Israel’s strong presence in other industries (such as wearable tech), the Startup Nation will surely continue pushing boundaries in gaming and will remain a major player in the field.
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