In the past, the games industry has recorded some truly staggering revenues, highlighting just how many big businesses there are. Some of the companies contributing to these huge numbers are based in Europe, with organizations from this particular continent contributing $53 billion in annual revenue in recent times. However, which names are actually doing most of the heavy lifting?
It’s a highly competitive area of business. Gamers are inundated with new releases on the PS5 to tackle, DraftKings jackpots are being recorded on a regular basis, innovative accessories are always coming to the fore, and there’s an appetite for independent titles and even smaller handheld gaming devices. Despite competition from nations like China and the United States of America, some of Europe’s finest are holding their own, though. Below we highlight just some of them and the extraordinary work they’re doing in this much-loved entertainment category.
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Playrix
An Irish company that continues to make waves in the gaming space, Playrix is one of Dublin’s major players. At the time of writing, the organization continues to grow, with over 3000 employees to its name. However, even bigger plans appear to be in the pipeline, as Playrix looks to offer an even bigger library of puzzle and simulation releases in the coming years. Gardenscapes and Homescapes are two of Playrix’s biggest hits, although the Irish company is expected to bring even more masterpieces to the masses in the very near future.
Paradox Interactive
Like Ireland, Sweden is also playing its part in gaming’s global appeal. Paradox Interactive is one of the nation’s most exciting organizations, providing grand strategy developments that have shaped some of the most influential releases of recent times. Crusader Kings III and Hearts of Iron IV are just two masterpieces associated with the Stockholm-based gaming giant, although with over 5 million users tapping into Paradox Interactive’s strategy products, the company is well placed to provide even more top-notch gaming experiences in the coming years.
Ubisoft
While some of the aforementioned companies are fairly small compared to some of the biggest names on the planet, Ubisoft can compete with them all. This French AAA publisher is respected everywhere having published some of the most famous games in recent times, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. With over 16,000 employees working behind the scenes, Ubisoft is easily one of Europe’s major players.
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Moonmana
Founded in 2008, Polish company Moonmana has gone from strength to strength. Working out of Gdansk, the mobile-first outsource studio continues to make its mark in this highly competitive category, offering their expertise in a variety of areas, including development and art production. Having joined forces with behemoth organizations like Warner Brothers in the past, alongside branching out into other gaming categories like PlayStation and Switch, Monomana is a company worth keeping tabs on.
Miniclip
Alongside Moonmana mobile gaming experiences, Miniclip is behind some truly unbeatable games you might’ve even downloaded yourself before. Based in Neuchatel in Switzerland, the business’s hit projects are extensive, although 8 Ball Pool is the company’s biggest success story having generated over $400 million in revenues at the time of writing. Alongside the pool-themed favorite that has managed to amass over 1 billion downloads, Miniclip is also responsible for some other favorites within the mobile gaming community, including Golf Battle and Subway Surfers. Overall, when assessing the mobile gaming category’s most impactful gaming releases, Miniclip is responsible for some of them.
Other European companies that are shining in the gaming space include Gameloft (France), Imperia Online (Bulgaria), Crytek (Germany), Mojang Studios (Sweden), Galaxy4Games (Estonia), and Rockstar North (United Kingdom).
