Türkiye’s video game industry expanded by more than 20% in 2024 to reach a market value of $695 million, fueled primarily by mobile gaming and the rising use of artificial intelligence in development, industry executives said Friday.
Mobile games accounted for 54% of the sector’s revenue, generating $375 million as young Turks increasingly turn to smartphones and tablets for entertainment, Ozan Aydemir, chief executive officer of Gaming in Türkiye, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Aydemir said that studios with mobile experience have begun targeting the PC and console markets, driving a 133% year-on-year jump in the number of Turkish-made PC and console titles in 2024. While exact figures for the first half of 2025 are not yet available, he noted a continued rise in independently released games and successes on global platforms, signaling further growth that could push industry revenue toward $750 million this year.
New game studio formations also accelerated in the second half of 2024, aided by AI-powered design and coding tools that lower startup costs for independent developers. “Small teams can now prototype, produce visuals and even write in-game dialogue faster and at lower cost,” Aydemir said, adding that 2025 may usher in “AI-first” games built almost entirely with artificial intelligence.
Türkiye has been one of the top three recipients of investment in Europe and the Middle East since 2021. In 2024, it attracted $71.6 million in funding, reflecting both financial growth and international confidence in Turkish talent, Aydemir said. Primary export markets include the United States, Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, with the latter benefiting from cultural proximity and a large mobile-gaming audience.
For the sector to cement its global standing, Aydemir urged private and public stakeholders to focus on long-term brand building, early investment in marketing and user acquisition, and forging partnerships with international publishers. He also called for government incentives tailored to the games industry and closer collaboration with educational institutions to cultivate skilled professionals.
Tansu Kendirli, president of the Turkish Game Developers and Publishers Association (OYUNDER), said existing tax exemptions have made the sector more attractive to investors, though recent revisions to incentive structures aim to curb misuse. Kendirli noted that while larger studios remain more appealing to backers, AI has shifted much investment toward tools that improve user-acquisition efficiency, ad performance and graphics development.
Despite a slowdown in acquisitions since 2022 and rising costs for smaller companies following policy changes by Google and Apple, Kendirli said Türkiye’s gaming industry continues to grow rapidly under the combined forces of mobile expansion and AI innovation.
