Belgium’s game industry is no longer a footnote in European market reports. The country now counts 115+ active studios, roughly 2,200 full-time developers, and a revenue jump of 23% year over year. Exports still represent more than 90% of sales, but 2025’s data shows a healthier pipeline for local releases as well. Here’s a snapshot of where the sector stands in early 2026—and why it matters if you build or play games here.

Studios on the rise

Larian Studios (Ghent) continues post-launch support for Baldur’s Gate 3 while prototyping its next RPG IP. The company has crossed 450 employees spread across Belgium, Quebec, and Warsaw, and it is investing heavily in AI-assisted QA. Fishing Cactus (Mons) pivoted from work-for-hire to co-developing puzzle adventures, while Happy Volcano (Brussels) is turning its “traffic chaos” experiments into snackable multiplayer racers. Cybernetic Walrus (Antwerp) is collaborating with Flanders Game Hub on enterprise driving simulators that double as training tools for automotive suppliers.

Outside the Flemish focus, ROlling Games (Liège) just closed a €3.5 million Series A to expand its cozy-game catalogue, and Snapjaw (Namur) is partnering with Arte to co-produce narrative VR shorts. The takeaway: Belgian studios are diversifying beyond passion projects and pitching bigger, longer-lived experiences.

Funding, support, and talent

The Screen Flanders Interactive Fund has grown to €10 million annually, accessible to teams with a Belgian HQ. Walloon studios lean on Wallimage and Digital Attraxion, while private funds like Pitchdrive and Fortino Capital backed five studios in 2025 alone. Larian’s runaway success encouraged BNP Paribas Fortis to pilot revenue-based financing, giving mid-sized teams a bridge between grants and venture equity.

Talent remains the bottleneck: Belgian universities graduate roughly 350 “game-ready” students per year, far below demand. To compensate, hubs in Ghent and Brussels now run cross-border apprenticeships with Dutch and French schools, and remote hiring is the norm—even for junior roles. Tax incentives help; studios can reclaim up to 30% of qualifying R&D spend via the federal research shelter.

Esports and events

Esports is catching up fast. Pro League’s Rainbow Six roster relocated to Brussels with support from Visit Flanders, KRC Genk Esports launched an academy for FIFA, Rocket League, and Valorant, and ESL Benelux moved its production center to Antwerp to enable more Dutch- and French-language broadcasts. Local governments still stop short of recognising esports as a professional sport, but municipalities bankroll training spaces to keep talent from bolting to Berlin or Paris.

Global footprint

Belgian-made games are charting worldwide. Sea of Solitude – The Lighthouse (Brussels’ Jo-Mei) hit PS5 and Switch in February, and Space Control (Antwerp’s Pajama Llama) sold 500k copies within six months. More than 35 Belgian-developed titles launched in 2025, and 60% landed global publishing deals. Art outsourcing remains a strength: Studio Wouf, Cyborn, and IKONIC Productions supply assets to Ubisoft, CD Projekt, and Tencent.

The federal government has started tracking interactive media alongside film and TV exports, giving policymakers better data to defend support schemes in Brussels and the EU. That matters as neighbouring countries roll out their own tax shelters.

What’s next?

Between now and 2028, expect mid-sized studios to scale up or partner with EU peers for transmedia IP. Flanders Game Hub is piloting AI-assisted localisation and procedural art pipelines that could shave 10–12% off production budgets. XR and simulation demand from automotive and healthcare clients will keep non-entertainment studios profitable, which in turn bankrolls experimental game prototypes.

The risk? Talent. Without more graduates, Belgium either doubles down on remote-first studios or loses projects to neighbours. The upside is momentum: trade delegations now bring a Belgian pavilion to Gamescom and GDC, signalling that the country plans to compete for the long term.

The bottom line

• Studio count and revenue keep climbing, led by export-ready teams in Ghent, Brussels, Mons, and Liège.
• Public funds (Screen Flanders, VAF Gamefonds, Wallimage) are now matched by private capital and revenue-based financing.
• Esports infrastructure is improving, with Belgian-language broadcasts and academy programs keeping players local.
• Talent shortages remain the main threat, but hubs and apprenticeships are starting to close the gap.

Source: FLEGA quarterly benchmark, Screen Flanders Interactive Fund, GameIndustry.be

Related reading: State of Play February 2026 Recap