A new association for game developers in Malta is being set up, aiming to give the sector a unified voice and a greater sense of community, one of the founding members says.

This is something which the sector is lacking in Malta, Ryan Camilleri, Founder and CEO of Midow Studios, told WhosWho.mt

Mr Camilleri, together with John Chasoulidis Abela, Director and Co-Founder of Ludum Collective, came up with the idea to set up an association last year during Gamescom, in Germany, a major international event for the sector.

The association will aim to be the voice for video game developers and creatives across the Maltese islands, Mr. Camilleri says.

"We saw a gap in the sector, and the need for an association.”

It felt great being around so many passionate game developers and gamers, he says about Gamescom, noting that there isn't the same sense of community in Malta.

"It’s such a small island, and yet we are all so far apart. We, as game developers, barely meet. The only time we do is at Playcon, Malta’s video game sector event where developers set up booths and gamers get to try out their games. But that is the only real time we get to meet other people within the sector, which is a shame.”

He adds that he and Mr Abela kept talking about setting up a local association since the event in Germany, and have decided to move forward.  

"Game developers in Malta are not currently represented. If I had to put forward a proposal to the Government, or had an issue that needs raising, then it would just be me proposing or issuing something," he says. "The association will be a voice for game developers and game creatives, bringing them under a single umbrella." 

"It will serve as a voice for local video game industry workers both in Malta and internationally, and would also serve to create a single community where we can meet more often."

The association will also organise workshops and bring in talented developers from abroad to deliver talks, Mr Camilleri adds.

They announced their intention to set it up at a local event earlier this year, but the association will officially launch at Gamescom in August, he said. "GamingMalta always sets up a booth at Gamescom. We know that the idea came about last year at Gamescom, so we thought where better than to launch it."

He says that the association would then organise meetings where members could raise any issues that the sector is facing, which the association can then work on.

Mr Abela is expected to be its first President.

John Chasoulidis Abela

Video game sector witnessing growth

Providing some insight into the video game sector, Mr Camilleri says that when he graduated from the University of Malta in 2021, he couldn't find a job in the sector locally.

He took up a job with a video game company abroad, before later coming back to the country. "In the past three years, the growth we are seeing in the local sector is immense (compared to what it was a few years ago). Many foreign companies are coming to Malta and employing more people.” This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any issues, he says.

The video game sector in Malta is still very small, he explains, and the global market is going through a rough patch. "It’s not easy, but there are definitely more opportunities in Malta than there were 4-5 years ago." 

He mentions that the country is witnessing more locally born start-ups, "but they are still relatively small."