Government funding for game production should focus on supporting strong IPs

Government financing of game production should focus on supporting strong IPs that will give Poland exposure and recognition around the world – said the president of Bloober Team, Piotr Babieno, during the parliamentary digitization committee.

“From my perspective, if we spend these funds, it would be nice if IPs were created, because the greatest value when it comes to the video game industry is the creation of IP. If we have brands that will be recognizable in the world, like The Witcher, but not one Witcher, but several, then at that point our industry will be comparable to Japan, it will be comparable to the United States,” Babieno said.

He added that currently the Polish gaming market employs approximately 16,000 people. employees, which is an argument for Poland becoming a global gaming center that could operate in a similar way to how Hollywood operates in the film industry.

“The video game industry around the world has very big problems. Over the last three years, we have witnessed a large number of layoffs, closures of studios, closures of projects. And here Poles are doing much better than the rest of the market. We are cheaper, we have ideas on how to reorganize and we approach all activities iteratively,” he said.

“In fact, the most important thing is that we learn from our mistakes, but also from our successes. Because the most difficult thing, contrary to appearances, is not to achieve a one-time success, but to repeat this success,” he added.

He added that the gaming industry is currently the cultural sector that makes the best use of the opportunities offered by crossmedia (transferring IP between media, e.g. a series based on a game).

When we create IP, we can also think about TV series, films and books. This is how it works in the West. If an IP is created, everything around it is built around it.

“(In Poland – PAP) unfortunately, we approach it somewhat on the principle that if there is a company that is successful, it tries to organize it. However, we do not have the conditions created to build these IPs,” Babieno pointed out.

He added that thanks to strong IP, Poland is able to build its soft-power competences in other markets. (PAP Business)

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