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Poland’s games market enjoyed impressive growth last year.
Total software sales were up 12 per cent year-on-year between January and September, and up 27 per cent on consoles.
Traditionally a region dominated by PC, now PS3 and Xbox 360 are two of the biggest-selling formats in Poland – equalling PC software sales for the first time.
This has partly been down to the growing success of mainstream products such as Kinect and Move. Games are quickly becoming a mass market form of entertainment, bringing the Polish market in line with that of the UK.
There are definite signs of Poland starting to diversify away from its hardcore gamer roots towards a broader audience,” said Catapult Business Solutions founder Chris Stanton-Jones.
There are over 200,000 users of Kinect and Move, many of which will be playing more casual-based games. It is the easy accessibility of these types of games, which has in fact attracted users away from PC titles.”
The popularity of digital games and MMOs is also growing, outperforming those of neighbouring markets in Eastern and Central Europe. This presents plenty of opportunities for companies that focus on online games.
We are still seeing the best volume potential in Poland. It’s quickly become an important European MMO market,” said TripleACodes’ Marcus Whitney.
Poland has a strong development community. Notable studios include The Witcher devs CD Projekt, Epic-owned Bulletstorm studio People Can Fly, and Techland, the developer behind Dead Island and Call of Juarez.
Invest heavily in Poland,” Stanton-Jones advised. Thefuture is bright with much market potential ahead.”Also the Poles are social people, so be sure to stay for dinner and a drink to cement relationships.”
THE FACTS
Population: 38,186,860
Currency: Zloty
GDP (Per Capita): $13,079
Capital City: Warsaw
Language: Polish
KEY RETAILERS
Empik, Gram.pl, Gry Online, Media Markt, Toys R Us, Ultima
MAIN DISTRIBUTORS
CD Projekt, Cenega, Galapagos, LEM
TOP DEVELOPERS
CD Projekt, Exor Studios,Frontline Studios, Infinite Dreams, People Can Fly (Epic Games),Red Dot Games, Techland, TopWare Interactive
PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION
City Interactive, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment Polska, Ubisoft
