London celebrates Made in Italy in video games with networking event as part of London Games Festival
London, 7 April 2025 – On the occasion of the National Made in Italy Day, established to enhance Italian creativity and excellence and celebrated on the anniversary of the birth of Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian Embassy in London and Italian Trade Agency London, in collaboration with IIDEA – the trade association of the video game industry in Italy – are organizing an exclusive networking event dedicated to the video game sector and its role in the innovation and economic growth of the country.
The event, entitled “Games in Italy: Discovering Italy’s Industry and Bridging with the UK”, will be held today at the Italian Embassy in London and will offer a unique opportunity for Italian and British professionals to meet. The initiative takes place in the context of the London Games Festival, one of the main international events dedicated to the video game sector, promoted by Games London, which is held annually in London with the aim of promoting the development of the video game industry in the United Kingdom and beyond. In this edition, a delegation of six Italian development studios will participate in the Games Finance Market to present their work and create new connections with operators in the sector.
The partnership between the Italian and British video games industries continues with First Playable, the reference business event for the video games sector in Italy, to be held in Florence from 10 to 13 June 2025. The British Film Institute, together with Games London, has recently launched a call for applications to select seven independent UK developers to attend the Italian event and take part in panels, talks and networking opportunities.
The video game sector in Italy reached a market value of 2.3 billion euros in 2023, an increase of 5% compared to 2022 and 28% compared to 2019. There were 13 million gamers, representing 31% of the population aged between 6 and 64. The industry has 160 active development studios and 2,400 employees in 2022. The data, updated to 2024, will be presented by IIDEA on 15 April in Rome during the event “Videogames in Italy in 2024. Market, Consumers and Industry”, to be held at the Ministry of Culture as part of the national Made in Italy Day celebrations.
Umberto Bernardo, Head of the Economic Office at the Italian Embassy in London, said: “The video games industry in Italy is a key sector for innovation and constant growth, with an ever-increasing potential in the global market. Hosting this event at the Italian Embassy in London, as part of the national Made in Italy Day, is a strong signal of our commitment to promoting Italian talent and creating strategic links with the UK, one of the most important markets for the sector. The collaboration with Italian Trade Agency London and IIDEA is fundamental to support the development of the Italian video games industry and to promote new opportunities for investment and international cooperation.”
“London is a strategic platform for the international growth of Italian development studios, and the London Games Festival is an unmissable opportunity to strengthen the presence of our sector in the UK market” – commented Giovanni Sacchi, Director of ITA Italian Trade Agency – London Office – “Italian Trade Agency is proud to support this initiative, which not only promotes Italian talent in the video games sector, but also strengthens cooperation between Italy and the UK. Our partnership with IIDEA to bring UK investors and publishers to First Playable in Italy is a further step in this direction, promoting new business and investment opportunities for Italian companies”.
Thalita Malagò, General Manager of IIDEA, added: “The United Kingdom is the main market in Europe for the video game sector, as well as being a hub of attraction for operators from across the continent. For this reason, it is essential to consolidate the positioning of the Italian industry and expand the connections between the two countries, and the London Games Festival represents the perfect opportunity to do so. IIDEA is proud of this initiative, made possible thanks to the precious support of Italian institutions and the collaboration of Games London and the British Film Institute. Video games are a new frontier of Made in Italy, a perfect combination of innovation and creativity.”