DIGITALWORLD O
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ON AN OVERCAST TUESDAY MORNING IN OCTOBER THE PLUSH SURROUND- INGSOFDUBLIN’SSHELBOURNEHOTELWEREHOSTTOWHATWASPROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL GATHERING OF EXECUTIVES IN THE BURGEONING VIDEOGAMESINDUSTRY. The industry globally is tipped to be worth US$82.4bn by 2015. In just one day in No-
vember, the latest game fromActivision, Call ofDutyModern:Warfare 3 notched up an im- pressive US$400m in sales. Addressing senior executives from Activision Blizzard, EA, PopCap Games and many
others, Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny got straight to the point. “In short, this industry is on the way up and my Government is determined to ensure that Ireland becomes a recognised regional cluster for gaming companies that will attract more investment.” Ireland is home to global operations of gaming giants likeActivision Blizzard,which em-
ploys 1,200 people in Dublin and Cork; EA,which announced plans to double itsworkforce in the country with an extra 200 jobs at its BioWare facility in Galway; and countless oth- ers such as Big Fish Games and PopCap Games, which is being acquired by EA for up to US$1.3bn. It is also home to indigenous powerhouses like Havok, which is responsible for the
physics engines found in the bestselling games, as well as DemonWare and Jolt. A report just out by Forfás estimates that if Ireland plays its cards right, it could dou-
ble its employment in core games activities to 4,500 people. The report highlights the con- tinuing transition of the video games business to online andmobile distribution channels resulting in US$82.4bn in revenues by 2015, up from US$55bn last year. Kenny said that after three years of contraction, the Irish economy is returning to
growth. Exports are performing strongly, with a 7pc increase recorded in the first quar- ter of the year, with a similar increase forecast for the year as a whole. Ireland faces competition fromlocations such as Canada, Scotland and France, and the
key is to provide the right infrastructure and incentives towin both inward investment and encourage start-up activity by indigenous and overseas entrepreneurs. Kenny told the games chiefs: “Our current corporate tax systemis a cornerstone of our
economic policy and will remain so.” So has Ireland gotwhat it takes to lead the field in games services and development?Ac-
tivision Blizzard’s senior vice-president ofWorldwide Studios BrianWard explains that the shape of the gamingworld is changing. “Once itwas all about console gaming. But the con- sole games market is changing. If you look at the charts today by genre, whereas four or five years ago having any title in the top 10 of any genre was doing well, now that’s con- centrated on the top two in each genre. “Fortunately we have two or three in each genre and we’ve trimmed our slate accord-
ingly to get rid of the ones that were not in the top tier. “We’re focusing our newefforts on digital delivery. Call of Duty: Elite is somethingwe’ve
Issue 3 Autumn/Winter 2011 INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW 51
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