Let’s start by just stating the obvious that the gaming industry as a whole is not just growing, it’s both booming and reforming its identity.
This meant development studios, console cycles, brick and mortar releases, and the overall game publishing business; however, it now includes things like backend services, virtual economies, and newer things like AI-driven experiences and tools. Things are changing across the board, from investments, emerging ecosystems and the rise of AI.
Israel has a rich history of being a technology-strong nation and community of experts. Currently, Israel ranks pretty high globally in cybersecurity, backend support, cloud architecture, and AI.
The overall global industry is certainly leaning towards tech in the future more and more, with various tools, experiences, and even applications. The obvious thought is just to cross apply that expertise towards the gaming industry; however, it’s not quite that simple.
The good news here is that Israel enters this change with that strong experience, which should align well with the industry’s future. Whether it’s more of the traditional backend or technical capabilities or leaning more into future systems, the experts and experience are within the country.
The downside here is that this is much more the tech side of the industry as opposed to the artistic or creative side.
One of the biggest issues here is that game development within Israel hasn’t produced that iconic IP or that iconic creative thing just yet. At some point, that’ll happen, and it'll just make sense, and it’ll likely come from some of the mobile developers who have found success, but at this point, there’s not one game or IP that has hit mass market global success.
Almost every region/country has the “thing” that it’s known for, and sadly, this is where Israel is a bit lacking aside from its strong tech experience. As a whole, within the global gaming industry, this is probably hurting Israel, as it’s often forgotten about at first glance.
As mentioned earlier, I believe this will happen as the overall game development scene within Israel grows, but also as those already in it continue to gain more experience.
Israel poised for growth in gaming industry
I find this to be more of a matter of time than anything else. Every other region/country has been developing games for a long time, and some of them took a while to establish themselves. Comparatively, it does seem like Israel is poised for a breakout of IP or something iconic.
The future itself for Israel feels quite strong. There’s already a strong expertise within the technology side of the industry, but the creative side continues to gain valuable experience.
Whether Israel leans one way or the other, it does feel like Israel could embrace a boon as the global gaming industry continues to expand and evolve. As the industry evolves, Israel has the opportunity to evolve alongside it by strengthening its game development sector while further building on its already strong technological expertise, positioning the country for a bright future.
Lance James, Executive Producer / Co-Founder and Judge of the GameIS Grant Program for Israeli Game Creators, in collaboration with Xsolla