Malta: A Global Hub for Video Game Industry and Esports

The global video game industry is larger than the film and music industries combined and "dwarfs iGaming internationally" in terms of annual global revenue, according to Ivan Filletti, CEO of the GamingMalta Foundation, who sat down with Malta Independent on Sunday. Filletti is in charge of spearheading Malta's ambitious drive to become a world leader in interactive entertainment.  

Between 25 and 30 video game studios from countries including Israel, the UK, France, Germany and Ireland have established operations in the Maltese islands in recent years. These range from independent developers to major studio, 4A Games, primarily known for the critically acclaimed Metro series.  

GamingMalta, established by the Maltese government and the Malta Gaming Authority, is responsible for strategies and policy efforts across the gaming sectors. Originally founded to consolidate Malta's iGaming industry, which employs 14,000 people and contributes 7 per cent of the country's gross value added (GVA), the foundation has expanded its remit to embrace video game development, esports, and immersive technologies. 

The sector's growth is already yielding impressive results. A competitive Counter-Strike event hosted in Malta this summer attracted 66 million live online viewers with peak viewership of 800,000 people, totalling 17.5 million hours watched. In August, a three-year contract was signed with esports tournament organisers BLAST to host nine major esports events in Malta, utilising a 5,000 square-metre arena in Ta' Qali and a 1,000 square-metre studio. 

Renowned esports teams including Furia, Imperial Esports and OG Esports are relocating to the islands, whilst companies such as Keywords Studios, through subsidiaries Electric Square and Sperasoft, and top Roblox design agency Feenix have established operations in Malta. 

Filletti emphasised that Malta's appeal can be partly attributed to its personable approach, saying, “…The fact that they can sit down with us, they can speak to us about their business plans, and we're supporting them - we're helping them to find talent, we're helping to give them space, we're helping them from Malta Enterprise. It's a sum of all parts, there is no particular silver bullet, it's relentless.” 

The GamingMalta head was asked to identify the main barriers Malta must overcome to reach its goals for this gaming sector. Filletti mentioned competing with larger and richer jurisdictions, especially since Malta only joined this race in 2019; ensuring that we "always" have adequate funding and funding initiatives to grow the sector; and guaranteeing that Malta can entice talent to come here by marketing the country as a destination to nurture and back them.