Video game development is a developing industry in the Republic of Ireland, with some government attempts made to encourage investment via tax breaks. Of the approximately €206 million spent by Irish people on video games in 2015, Irish game developers " awlittle of this spend". Video gaming in Ireland grew from the 1970s and, for example, the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

was manufactured in Limerick to meet demand for both Irish and export markets. By 2020, video game companies in Ireland included

Keywords Studios Keywords Studios plc is an Irish video game industry services company based in Leopardstown. Founded in 1998 by Giorgio Guastalla and Teresa Luppino, the company initially provided localisation services for business software before transitionin ...

, Havok and

Romero Games Romero Games Ltd. is an independent video game development studio that was established on 11 August 2015 by husband-and-wife team John Romero and Brenda Romero and is located in Galway, Ireland. This is the ninth game studio Romero has establis ...

. A video games festival was held in Dublin in 2018. In 2007, the Irish Film Censor's Office (IFCO) was one of four European classification organisations to ban ''

Manhunt 2 ''Manhunt 2'' is a 2007 stealth game by Rockstar Games. It was developed by Rockstar London for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2, Rockstar Leeds for the PlayStation Portable, and Rockstar Toronto for the Wii. It is the sequel to 2003's ''M ...

''. The ban, later lifted, was the first video game ban in Ireland. Under the 1989 Video Recordings Act, the head of IFCO "may prohibit a video game" if it is deemed "unfit for viewing". Ratings and classifications in Ireland are otherwise applied through the (voluntary)

Pan European Game Information PEGI () or Pan-European Game Information is a European video game content rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descripto ...

(PEGI) age-rating scheme, of which Ireland is a member.

Video game companies of Ireland

Active companies

Demonware Demonware, Inc. is an Irish software development company and a subsidiary of Activision, a video game division of Activision Blizzard. Demonware's products enable games publishers to outsource their networking requirements, allowing them to con ...

(networking code) *

DIGIT Game Studios Digit may refer to: Mathematics and science * Numerical digit, as used in mathematics or computer science ** Hindu-Arabic numerals, the most common modern representation of numerical digits * Digit (anatomy), the most distal part of a limb, suc ...

(mobile games) *

Havok (company) Telekinesys Research Limited (TR), doing business as Havok Group, is an Irish software company founded on 9 July 1998 by Hugh Reynolds and Steven Collins, based in Dublin, Ireland, and owned by Microsoft's Ireland Research subsidiary. They hav ...

(middleware engine) *

(game development, localisation, audio, art, QA, etc) *

(independent studio)

Defunct companies

* Eirplay Games (founded 2002 and defunct 2009) *

Emerald Software Emerald Software was a video game publisher founded in 1988 by two UK entertainment executives – David Martin of Martech, and Mike Dixon who previously worked with EMI and worked as the company CEO. The company was headquartered in a three-st ...

(founded 1988 and defunct 1991) * Funcom Dublin Ltd.(branch; 1994 to 2001)

Publishers

* KamaGames (publisher & dev. Mobile & casino games) *

Playrix Playrix Holding Ltd., also known as Playrix Entertainment and Playrix Games, is a developer of free-to-play mobile games behind titles such as ''Township'', ''Fishdom'', '' Homescapes'', and '' Gardenscapes''. The company was founded in 2004 by D ...

(Dublin HQ. Russian publisher & dev. Mobile games.)

References

External links

Imirt - "Irish Game Makers" membership association
Video gaming in Ireland {{videogame-culture-stub