Flanders gets full game hub | games

The gaming sector is getting better and better. For example, the number of Belgian game companies increased from 65 to 84 between 2017 and 2020. The majority of these are active in Flanders. Games are also gaining in importance worldwide: in the past four years, worldwide turnover increased by 52 percent, to almost 180 billion dollars (163 billion euros).

The Flemish government recently approved the vision paper ‘Level Up Flanders’ by Minister Dalle. With this, the CD&V minister wants to make better use of the potential of the Flemish game sector. The memorandum contains 25 proposals for the coming years.

One of the main challenges for the local game sector is to find sufficient financial resources to realize projects. That is why the budget of the game fund of the VAF (Flemish Audiovisual Fund) is being significantly increased. In 2022, the budget will increase to 2.9 million euros thanks to recovery funds, then the budget will be structurally increased from 2023 from 1.7 million euros to 2.7 million euros.

It is also the intention to set up a Flemish game hub, a physical location where developers can collaborate and exchange ideas. It should become the “beating heart” of the Flemish games sector.

According to Dalle, numerous examples from abroad (Finland, the Netherlands,…) prove that such a hub can give the game sector an enormous boost. The aim is to make a decision about the final implementation by the summer, so that a start can be made in the autumn.

“The Flemish game sector is really underestimated. There is a lot of growth potential, also outside the classic games,” says Dalle. “Games can play a very important role in our society, just think of education or the mental well-being of children and young people. With this vision statement, we are taking the sector to a higher level.”

Fantasy Anime Comics Toys Space (FACTS) is an annual event around pop culture in Belgium and will take place this year on April 2 and 3 in Ghent.