One of the largest driving  factors in a video game's success is the market it will exists in. Are people crying out for that type of game or have they played too many types of that video game and are looking for something else to play?

These are just some of the questions game developers must answer if they are to exceed as a business. So today I want to look into the broader sense of the market and see which countries are more attractive to game developers than others.

Rise and Shine

Below is a snapshot of figures, breaking down nations and the revenue they generate for the gaming industry (source), taken from several sources to generate an estimate.

Now the first instinct is to look at the numbers and assume selling games in China and America is the only way to go, but lets have a look at those numbers closer. We'll take the revenue and divide it by the population, to get a better look at the spending habits of those countries.

China $25.73 per head.
America $107.90 per head.
Japan $147.23 per head.
Republic of Korea $120.74 per head.
Germany $69.43 per head.
United Kingdom $79.82 per head.
France $59.16 per head.
Canada $77.75 per head.
Spain $55.67 per head.
Italy $43.02 per head.

​Now I have to stress these numbers taken from the sources have a lot of wiggle room, but it's a basis to look into some trends.

For Science

But our new order of countries generating the most revenue from video games based on per person, would now look like this:
​

1. Japan
2.  Republic of Korea
3. America
4. United Kingdom
5. Canada
6. Germany
7. France
8. Spain
9. Italy
10. China

Now there are a multitude of reasons outside of a nation's people spending on games, like for example grants offered from the countries government, that could plump up those figures. But that not withstanding, you can see which markets seem more profitable than others.

One vital question for an independent game developer to answer is, what it will cost them to get those customers? Note I stated "what it will cost" not just how much money it will cost. That is the question is how much resistance you will have to overcome to get into said market.

China for example is known to have a terrible government that censors and restricts based on the whims of their dictators. Not to mention the giant language barrier to tackle, you know with there being over 300 languages spoken there (source).

Then of course you have digital theft to navigate. Below is a snapshot of the top 20 piracy hotspots around the world (source).

Digital theft is a tricky one to measure (here are some more data points - source), but we can see the usual suspects pop up. Which roughly equate to the more left-wing a nation is, the more it feels entitled to your work for free without your consent.

Then of course you have to factor in the exchange rate of each territory you wish to sell to. Their wages may not be up to the cost of living in your country, so do you burden your decent customers with those who shouldn't be buying items they cannot afford with regional pricing?

Steam, the largest PC digital games distribution platform is very combative against developers in this regard. Something I learned from personal experience

Sierra Madre

My personal top 5 countries to target making games for would be:

1. America
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Germany
5. France

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As by far these seem the most profitable and easy to access markets available.

By Roley
12/12/2019