March 25, San Francisco – The Swiss Game Industry is growing. Today, Switzerland is home to roughly 140 Game Studios that produce around 100 games a year. And the industry’s revenue and employment have been growing steadily over the past few years. In 2018, the industry’s turnover was estimated at USD 150 Million, and is expected to grow over the next few years.

Swiss gamers taking over GDC

For the 13th year, the Swiss Arts Council ProHelvetia and Swissnex in San Francisco brought a delegation of promising Swiss game studios to San Francisco to take part in the Game Developers Conference, known as GDC. The conference brought together the game development community from around the world to exchange ideas, solve problems, and shape the future of the industry. Amongst the programmers, artists, producers, game designers, and more, eight Swiss Game studios presented their work in San Francisco at the coveted SwissGames booth.

• Kipwak Studio, «Wizdom Academy»
• Studio ZB, «Truth Detectives»
• Momento Games, «Flying Toyz»
• Mac n Cheese Games, «Munch»
• Whimsical Wolff Games, «Kohlrabi Starship»
• LUAL Games, «Eldritch Empathy» (Working Title)
• Disco:very Studio, «Dissecting Love»
• Twisted BrainZ, «Rise of Peles»

Crafting and Delivering a Silicon Valley Approved Pitch

Prior to the conference, the selected delegation underwent tailored training sessions organized by Swissnex called US Game Industry Days, focusing on refining essential skills such as networking with industry professionals, how to break into the US market, media training, and perfecting pitches tailored for a professional Silicon Valley audience. This culminated in the event SwissGames Pitch 2024 at Pier 17, where esteemed jury members including Don Daglow, Game Designer, Executive Producer, Advisor at Don Daglow, the Strong, Rachel Heleva, Business Development and Scouting Manager at Astra Logical, Demetri Detsaridis, Operating Partners at Haveli Investments, and Justin Woodward, Co-founder, Creative Director at Media Indie Exchange (The MIX), Interabang Entertainment.

Gaming and Inclusivity – Exploring the power of game storytelling to break barriers
The week continued just as successful: On Monday night we co-presented the event Gaming and Inclusivity with Villa-Albertine San Francisco, a new cultural institution that reinvents the original concept of Villas by going far beyond artists in residency. Held at Pier 17, the event explored the transformative power of game storytelling in breaking barriers and fostering deeper connections among individuals. The panel consisted of one participant in the Swiss Games delegation: Noe Mael Arnold, Producer at Disco:very Studio,and two guests, Celine Tricart, Co-founder, game director at COVEN, as well as Yuqian Sun, Narrative AI researcher & artist, PhD Candidate at Ada Eden (game group), Royal College of Art. The event was moderated by game designer and artist Tatiana Vilela dos Santos.

Award winning Swiss Game Studios
This year, Swiss Game Studios achieved recognition from the global gaming community. Awards and nominations include:

• Twisted BrainZ (Studio) with the Game: Rise of Peles, was selected as a GDC Pitch Finalist
• Whimsical Wolff Games (Kohlrabi Starship) won the „Very Big Indie Pitch“
• Truth Detectives (Studio ZB) won Best Socially Valuable Game at Game Connection

Selection to exclusive events include:

• Courage XL: Kipwak Studio, Momento Games, Mac n Cheese Games, Whimsical Wolff Games, Twisted BrainZ
• The Mix: Kipwak Studio, Momento Games, Whimsical Wolff Games
• Panelist public event Game & Inclusivity: Disco:very Studio
• Courage on Tour: Kipwak Studio, Momento Games, Whimsical Wolff Games, Twisted BrainZ, LUAL Games
• Global Play Showcase: Mac n Cheese Games
• Pocket Gamer Connects: Whimsical Wolff Games, Twisted BrainZ, Studio ZB, Kipwak
• Eurpean Game Showcase: Kipwak Studio, Whimsical Wolff Games, Disco:very Studio

As we dismantle our booth at GDC 2024, we look forward to seeing the progress of these Swiss Game Studios in the coming months. Their achievements at this year’s conference highlight the growing potential of Switzerland’s game industry globally.

Media Coverage

• Kohlrabi Starship’s cozy space farming game takes home the win at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2024
• Eldritch Empathy Preview: GDC’s Best Underground Gem