eGames Lab, a consortium of 22 entities, funded by the PRR, which aims to create a cluster For the creative video game industry in Portugal, it created 112 jobs and invested 29.9 million euros.
“There are already results. We have been working for more than a year now. The partners are very satisfied with the results obtained so far. It seems to me that the project leader, the Wowsystems, you can congratulate yourself on your audacity to lead a project of this order of magnitude.“, stated, in statements to Lusa, Pedro Cota, from Solvit, one of the 14 companies in the consortium.
The results already achieved by the consortium will be presented at the first meeting of the eGames Lab, which will take place on Monday at the Terceira Island Science and Technology Park (Terinov), where two companies, Solvit and Redcatpig, are based.
According to the consortium, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), since its launch, the project has already created 112 jobs, 10 of them in the Azores, and has invested 29.9 million euros, 60% of which in scientific and technological research and development.
The first game, Waste Rush, has just been released and there are several in production for international release on PC, consoles and mobile.
Pedro Cota highlighted that eGamesLab has made it possible to retain talent in this field in Portugal and create conditions for sustainability in the video game industryafter the project ends in September 2025.
“Many of these people, after graduating, are attracted by international companies and the temptation to leave the country is great. This mobilizing agenda and this project gives us the opportunity to settle people here, create samples, create volume and prepare the companies that are involved for the future,” he noted.
The businessman also highlighted the efforts made by the consortium leaders to create an “investment fund, through partner financial institutions, that allows the creation of new financing mechanisms for the industry.”
“Not only does it show the consortium’s commitment to the continuity and sustainability of the project, but it will obviously provide a support tool for the partners, and not only that, because one of the objectives of the fund that is being created is to support new Opening that arise in this field”he highlighted.
Participation in international fairs has allowed “creating synergies with operators and entities that are already in this field, already have their market and Know how“.
“We not only intend to develop partners, but also the entire manufacturing sector. gaming In Portugal, we believe that with the visibility that is being created in this field and with the tools that are being created, new companies will emerge and there will be entrepreneurs who want to develop their products and launch them on the market,” he said.
Among the alliances already achieved, the consortium highlights those established with Carnegie Mellon UniversityHE University of Copenhagen and entertainment industry company ID&T.
Protocols were also established with the Faculty of Human Motor Skills of the University of Lisbon, to promote the rapprochement of projects between business and academia.
The consortium is made up of 22 entities, including 14 companies, but not all of them are directly linked to video games, as is the case of Solvit, which develops work in the area of engineering and telecommunications.
“Most games no longer run on the mobile phones or computers that people use, but on a server Web distance. Our role is to optimize these connections between the terminal and the server, to allow better usability of the games,” explained Pedro Cota.
Source: Observadora
