Investments made in Turkey in the first 6 months of 2021 increased 7 times compared to the same period of 2020. In the first half of 2021, the amount of investment increased to $704 million. The gaming industry, on the other hand, was the sector that attracted the most investment in the last year, making up 34% of the investments made in this half-year. Turkish gaming startups received $236 million investment in the first six months of 2021.
Faruk Inaltekin, President of the Association of Technology Development Zones and Bilkent Cyberpark General Manager, emphasized that the gaming industry has made a great leap forward with the effect of the pandemic, and that the Turkish gaming industry, which ranked 18th in the world gaming market in 2020, has started to make its name in the global market with the investments it has received. “With the investment of $236 million in game startups in the first half of 2021, the game industry has become one of the most invested sectors in Turkey. Accordingly, we can say that the number of game startups has increased rapidly and will continue to increase in the coming periods.”
MORE THAN THOUSAND STUDIOS ESTABLISHED IN 5 YEARS
Game Factory CEO Efe Kucuk stated that the time to play games in the world has increased by 30% with the pandemic, “However, the number of players in Turkey increased by 4 million in 2020 and reached 36 million people. When this is the case, both the production in the sector increased and the attention of the investors shifted to the game sector. While we couldn’t show 10 game studios in Turkey 5 years ago, today there are over a thousand studios in our country.” he said. Kucuk stated that especially the mobile game industry has a very profitable revenue model and that it is possible to make big profit percentages by advertising with very small budgets. “The advantageous aspect of investing in the gaming industry is that the return on investment is very short and the return rate is very high. It is possible to earn many times the amount invested in just 6-2 months.”
A GAME CAN BE WRITTEN AT 7 OR 77 YEARS OLD
Information Commercialization Center (BTM) General Manager Ibrahim Elbasi, who stated that most of the investors have branded game startups closely as of 2020, stated that there is no age range to enter the game industry, “You can write a game at the age of 7 or 77, or you can establish a startup company.”
OPPORTUNITIES CAN BE TURNED INTO BIG INVESTMENTS
YTU Yildiz Teknopark Deputy General Manager Isa Turgut Inci reminded that Turkish game startups such as Peak Games and Rollic Games were sold for large sums, and said, “Peak Games has become the first unicorn of our country. Dream Games has made its name among the unicorns of our country with the investment it has received. All these developments are very important and valuable for the Turkish gaming industry. With the right analysis, funding and productization, opportunities can be turned into big investments.”
THERE ARE MOBILE GAMES THAT MAKE $1 MILLION TURNOVER IN A DAY
Pointing out that the game ecosystem is growing at a remarkable pace both in Turkey and in the global market, Angel Effect Chairman of the Board Gokhan Akar said, “Even when you search for mobile games today, we see more than 15 categories. The development time of each category and the income per user vary, but to give an example, you can make a simple game in 3 months. Today, there are mobile games with a turnover of $1 million a day.”
Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz