Poland's thriving gamedev industry
In terms of major game developers, Poland has produced multiple strong contenders. The stand-out, however, is CD Projekt S.A. The company launched CD Projekt Red – a department responsible for developing original games – in 2002. Their 2007 release of The Witcher allowed them to successfully break through into the worldwide market. With the release of The Witcher 3 in 2015, their revenue increased almost sixfold. Since then, the company has released an action role-playing video game - Cyberpunk 2077. The title took nearly nine years in the making and three release date delays, to be finally brought to the fans on December 10, 2020. By the end of 2020, the company sold nearly 14 million Cyberpunk 2077 copies worldwide.The profile of a Polish gamer
The overall number of Polish gamers has seen a steady increase since 2017. The profile of the typical gamer has transformed from teenage boys to a more gender-balanced group of adults in their 20s and 30s. On personal computers, people tend to play games to de-stress and relax. For the digital purchase of games, Steam is by far the leading platform. At the same time, mobile devices have become popular for casual gaming. People generally use mobile games to combat boredom and they choose free, light-hearted games from app stores. Unlike other consoles, virtual reality sets are still relatively unpopular – about one in every ten gamers has used them.Most people play games several times a week – least often on gaming consoles, and most often on mobile devices. On most devices, logic games are the most popular genre. On consoles, however, racing games take the cake. The most commonly chosen console is PlayStation, followed by the Xbox models, and some of the most popular games among Polish hard gamers have been Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Valorant, and FIFA.
The rise of e-sports in Poland
An important segment of the gaming market is e-sports – competitive video gaming, usually in the form of organized competitions between professional players. Poland has embraced e-sports, as can be seen in the segment’s steadily growing revenue and viewership. Leading e-sports players are very dedicated and can make a full-time earning from gaming. There are multiple Polish e-sports tournaments with increasing prize pools.The majority of Polish e-sports fans are aged between 20 and 29 years old, and one in five e-sports enthusiasts has a higher education background. Most e-sports fans watch gaming streams from time to time. In general, YouTube streaming is the most popular platform for watching e-sports related content. Because of the dedicated character of the e-sports community, this segment has great potential for marketing. A 2020 survey carried out by ARC Rynek i Opinia revealed that tournament viewers most frequently recalled e-sports advertising by brands like Intel and Red Bull – the latter being a smart choice to target a demographic with a common habit of consuming soft drinks while gaming.
