{"id":4841,"date":"2021-08-31T13:37:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T11:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/?p=4841"},"modified":"2021-09-07T14:58:05","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T12:58:05","slug":"from-the-flea-to-the-spanish-pokemon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revistaitransporte.com\/from-the-flea-to-the-spanish-pokemon\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Flea to the \u2018Spanish Pok\u00e9mon\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1983, a highly successful video game called Bugaboo,<\/b> also known in its various versions as The Flea,<\/b> known as La Pulga<\/b> in Spain, was published in the UK and later in the USA. It soon reached number one in the specialised games press. Created by two programmers from Extremadura, it is currently considered the first major milestone in the development of entertainment software in Spain, which is now one of the top 10 biggest players in the sector in the world and the fifth largest in Europe in terms of turnover.<\/p>\n

La Pulga, which today gives its name to the Spanish national industry awards, was followed during the 1980s and early 1990s by other well-received productions such as Sir Fred, Livingstone Supongo<\/b> (both in 1986), La Abad\u00eda del Crimen<\/b> (1987, inspired by the film The Name of the Rose),<\/i> Commandos, PC F\u00fatbol<\/b> and many more. All of them gave rise to what is known today as the \u2018golden age\u2019 of Spanish gaming, which ended in the early 1990s with the arrival of 16-bit technology.<\/p>\n

A growing area of activity is that of serious games, which are being developed by around a quarter of Spanish companies in the sector. These are not intended for entertainment, but rather are designed\u00a0for educational or training purposes<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After a hiatus of a few years, with the turn of the century and the digital revolution, a resurgence began within the sector. In 2010, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,<\/b> developed by the Madrid-based studio MercurySteam, was released. The Japanese firm Konami selected them from a number of other American and Japanese proposals to redesign and revamp their product. The result was a mega-production with a budget of 20 million euros, which led to two sequels and became a worldwide critical and commercial success, marking a milestone for the sector in Spain. This is a sector that has experienced sustained growth over the last ten years, both in terms of turnover and business networks, although there is still a great deal of room for further expansion.<\/p>\n

According to data from the Spanish video game development association DEV, in 2019, entertainment software production companies \u2013some 400 in total, most of them small and concentrated mainly in Catalonia and Madrid, and to a lesser extent in Valencia and Andalusia\u2013 had a turnover of 920 million euros, 13% more than the previous year, 66% of which came from foreign sales. The fact that the main distribution channel is via global platforms on the Internet, mainly Steam, where 83% of Spanish studios make their sales, facilitates the process. According to DEV, physical sales account for only 4% of the total. North America (28%) and Europe (23%) are the main buyers of Spanish video games.<\/p>\n

DEV forecasts annual turnover growth of 17% to EUR 1.7 billion by 2023. In terms of employment, the current workforce of just over 7,100 will rise to 8,500 direct jobs.<\/p>\n