Catalan video-game companies create Devicat to boost international expansion

Barcelona (ACN).- The video-game sector in Catalonia is going through a positive period. Barcelona is hosting the Gamelab Fair this week, an international video-games event that presents more than 200 enterprises and attracts up to 3.000 video-game professionals looking for new business opportunities. In total, more than 20.000 people will visit the event during the week. Some of the most important video-game companies in Catalonia have announced the creation of Devicat, an association aimed at boosting international expansion and attracting foreign investment in the sector.

Gamelab is an opportunity for video-game professionals to meet with each other and negotiate potential business opportunities. The Catalan Culture minister, Ferran Mascarell, said that in the last number of years up to 70 video-game companies have been created in Catalonia. They represent 40% of the business in the Spain and produce up to 130 new videogames per year. The new Devicat platform includes companies such as Digital Chocolate, Digital Legends, Novarama, Socail Point and Ubisoft. They are starting as a small group because they want to create the “foundations” of the organisation from where they attract others and boost international investment. The Catalan Government is also involved in the organisation. “We have to work together, we have to cooperate to develop a video-game cluster in Catalonia”, said the Culture minister. The industry employs up to 700 people in Catalonia and could expand if it receives the appropriate investments. The video-game adviser of Gamelab, Gonzo Suárez, said that the country needs a ‘video-game brand’ to strengthen the industry. A ‘brand’ able to promote Catalan videogames, coupled with the “quality” that the games produced in Catalonia would help boost the sector, he said. In fact, video-game company revenues are bigger than those coming from cinema and music. The Fair offers conferences for professionals and the opportunity to play with video-games. Moreover, it also includes an Academy to advise young people that want to develop their careers in the industry.