Videogames, stable market in Italia at 2.4 billion, growing gaming time
According to the IIDEA-Ipsos 2025 report, the video game industry in Italia is stagnating despite the global crisis in the sector amidst redundancies, record costs and increasingly risky triple productions
by L.Tre.
The global gaming industry still has the pause button pressed, even in Italia. In the world, there are chain layoffs, closed studios, and out-of-control production costs. Making a triple-A video game today seems to have reached probitively high budgets that make failure a vital risk for market players. Yet, while the gaming world cuts staff like a software house in survival mode, Italia remains surprisingly stable. It does not grow. But above all, it does not collapse.
Data from the IIDEA-Ipsos 2025 report tell of a 2.386 billion Euro market. Translated: video gaming in Italia is by now a mature cultural industry, with numbers similar to those of the cinema and a rare ability to cross crises without turning off the console.
The engine continues to be software. It is worth EUR 1.8 billion, 77% of total expenditure. Hardware, on the other hand, resists, despite electronic inflation and the price of components weighing on budgets like the final boss in Dark Souls. Consoles generate EUR 398 million, up 3%. Accessories are down 5%: a clear signal. The Italia consumer cuts the superfluous, not the game.
The real news, however, is another: time. In 2025, 14.2 million Italians between the ages of 6 and 75 will be gambling. That is 29% of the population. Less than the European average, where it is close to 48%, but those who play do so with greater intensity. The average is almost eight hours a week. Among 12-17 year olds, it exceeds 15 and a half hours. So much for generalist television: the war for attention today is fought inside Fortnite, Roblox and EA Sports FC.
The smartphone remains the true emperor of the market. 11.1 million people play on mobile. The sector is worth EUR 929 million. But the interesting fact is the business model: 97% of revenues come from in-app purchases and extra content. Paid apps weigh just 1%.
