Taiwan game software revenue rises nearly 50% in 5 years: MOF

Taipei, June 22 (CNA) Taiwan's game software industry generated NT$71 billion (US$2.24 billion) in revenue in 2025, up 48.7 percent from five years earlier, driven by growing demand for digital entertainment and the stay-at-home economy, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

The ministry's latest report showed that industry revenue rose from less than NT$50 billion in 2020 to NT$71 billion in 2025, with game software publishers posting the strongest growth, more than doubling over the five-year period.

The report, which was released last week by the MOF's Department of Statistics, attributed the industry's expansion to the rising popularity of online gaming, mobile games and other forms of digital leisure in recent years.

The number of game software-related businesses remained stable at between 1,114 and 1,149 from 2020 to 2025. The industry comprises three main segments: game software publishing, game programming and game software distribution.

Among them, the number of game programming firms, which account for around 60 percent of the industry, fell 12 percent over the five-year period to 642 in 2025, reflecting intense market competition and challenges in recruiting talent, the report said.

In contrast, the number of game publishers rose 77 percent to more than 200, aided by digital distribution platforms that lowered barriers to entry, while the number of game software distributors remained relatively stable.

The revenue of game programming firms increased by only 9 percent over the same period, as higher research and development costs and technical barriers pushed the industry toward greater scale-based competition, the department said.

Geographically, the industry showed clear concentration shaped by talent availability, market access, capital and industrial clustering, the department said.

Taipei, Taichung and New Taipei ranked as the top three cities by number of both game software publishers and distributors in 2025.

New Taipei accounted for nearly 60 percent of revenue generated by game publishers, thanks to the presence of major companies, while Taipei contributed 39 percent.

Meanwhile, Taipei accounted for 64 percent of revenue generated by distributors, reflecting the concentration of corporate headquarters, distribution channels and import agents in the capital.

For game programming, Taipei and New Taipei ranked first and second in both the number of firms and revenue, together accounted for about 70 percent of the national total. Hsinchu City ranked third in revenue, with a 10 percent share, supported by the relatively large size of local companies.