Türkiye’s gaming enterprises attracted investments of $333 million (TL 7.86 billion) during the first half of the year, the largest in Europe.
The figure jumped 60% from the same period of last year, data by the Presidency’s Digital Transformation Office showed Tuesday.
The U.K. followed Türkiye with $158 million, Norway with $60 million, Finland $53 million and Sweden with $24 million.
While some $600,000 were invested in the Turkish games industry in 2017, the figure rose to $1.8 million in 2018, $8.4 million in 2019, $14.4 million in 2020 and $264 million in 2021.
Istanbul was the second city with the largest number of deals in the gaming industry in Europe last year and ranked fifth globally.
Some 92.3% of internet users play video games in Türkiye, over the world average of 81.9%.
While the Turkish game ecosystem has been on the world agenda with its successes since 2018, the number of active game studios in Türkiye has reached 522,331 in Istanbul and 108 in Ankara.
The findings, meanwhile, indicate that mobile gaming enjoys immense popularity in Türkiye, with 42 million players engaging in games on their mobile devices. Additionally, 24 million-25 million players prefer playing games on computers, while approximately 15 million players opt for consoles.
In terms of gender distribution, the study found that 52% of the players were male, while 48% were female.
Analyzing the age range of players in Türkiye, it was observed that 27% of 18-24 year-olds, 38% of 25-34 year-olds, 30% of 35-44 year-olds and 4% of 45-54 year-olds actively participate in gaming activities. Even 1% of 64-year-olds were recorded as gamers.
When considering the income level of players, the study revealed that 75% had high incomes, 20% had medium incomes, and 5% had low incomes.
On the duration of mobile gaming on a weekly basis, 41% of players spent more than 10 hours indulging in this activity.
The preferred game genre among mobile players in Türkiye was puzzle-trivia and word games, accounting for 54% of players’ preferences. Card games followed closely behind with 52% and action-adventure games secured the third spot with 46%.
Regarding daily gaming habits, 47% of Turkish players engaged in mobile gaming two to three times a day, while 20% played mobile games five or more times a day.
The study also shed light on the number of mobile games played by individuals in Türkiye. The findings indicated that 8% played only one mobile game, 29% played two games, 25% played three games, 13% played four games, 15% played five games, and 7% played between six and 10 games. A mere 3% of players reported playing 10 or more mobile games.
