Cluster
Turin has seen the emergence of a cluster of gaming industries in recent years
This is driven by several factors, including the city’s strong tradition of innovation and technology, its proximity to major European cities (e.g. Milan), and its well-educated workforce. In Turin, there are several major players & independent studios in the gaming industry, including 34BigThings, MixedBag, and Tiny Bull Studios, which were all created in 2013.
Collectively they employ over 100 professionals from the sector and are behind popular games on the market. In addition, within the Turin ecosystem are tech companies with experience in IT solutions, that have branched out into the gaming and gamification sector, namely, Reply Game Studios and Synesthesia.
Quickload was launched in 2021, an accelerator for gaming startups by OGR Torino, 34BigThings and Microsoft.
During the 6-month program, up to 10 startups per year are supported in their development. In addition to the existing network of publishers and investors that have been a crucial part of the acceleration project since the first edition, from the second edition Saber Interactive leads an investment fund of up to 10 million euros per year to support the most promising startups.
The 12 startups accelerated so far have received entrepreneurial, financial and creative design training. This program acts as a catalyser for young companies and independent studios in the local territory.
To support the growth of the gaming industry in Turin, the city has also established a number of initiatives to cultivate human capital within the sector. These include formal training at academic institutions, on topics such as Game Design & Gamification (Turin Polytechnic), History & Theory of Video Games (University of Turin), and professional training opportunities offered by the Event Horizon School for Digital Art.
OGR Torino, in collaboration with the Italian chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IIDEA), hosts events and workshops to foster collaboration and networking among the gaming community. The hub is also the location for B2B events for the international community such as Round One, the first Italian business event on esports, organised by IIDEA, and View Conference.
