The Canary Islands want to become more attractive for gaming companies and we talked to a few of those who already set up their studios on the beautiful Islands.
The sun in the sky. The sea. Beaches. Good food. Beautiful cities. Nature. Islands, far away in the ocean. Sounds like paradise, right? And most of the time, such places have absolutely nothing to do with gaming, right? However, there is one spot on this planet where young gamers develop new games, design new levels, characters, and bosses every day—and then take an evening stroll on the beach, enjoy good food, and explore beautiful island cities or the gorgeous countryside on the weekends. Of course, we're talking about the Canary Islands.
Thanks to Canary Islands Games, a joint workforce team of Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC), the culture (Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural) and economic departments (PROEXCA) of the Government of the Canary Islands and the local councils (Cabildos), the perfect conditions have been created there in the last few years to publish new games, films, and animated shows. A mix of tax benefits, ideal investment opportunities, excellent infrastructure, and a sophisticated, but laid-back subtropical lifestyle is causing the gaming industry to thrive on the Canary Islands.
At Gamescom in Cologne, we had the opportunity to speak with some people who are living this dream life, which is every gamer's dream. They are there to attract more studios to the islands and let the gaming bubble know what can be achieved there.
Rising Pixel
Luca from Rising Pixel was the first to share his story with us. Since 2016, he's been "solving problems through gaming," as he puts it. Rising Pixel is an unusual gaming studio because they produce Serious Games. As the name suggests, it's about playing, but not just in an entertainment context: when it comes to learning through games, selling something, or perfecting an advertising campaign through gamification, Rising Pixel is the studio for the job.
"I just enjoy helping other people. And I've been making games since kindergarten (well, not really professionally back then), but it has always been my mission. Gamification allows me to combine these two passions and help people through my games," Luca tells us. Under the slogan "We innovate with you," he and his team of 15 people now work on campaigns for clients from all over the world.
That wasn't always the case. He started his career in Italy in 2016, alone. He had the dream of developing a Serious Game studio, but resources were scarce, and the competition was fierce. That's why Luca decided to take the leap to the Canary Islands as one of the first pioneers. Thanks to the tax benefits and investment subsidies, he could hope for a better future there. At that time, there was hardly any expertise in the gaming industry on the islands, so he worked with the Canary Islands Special Zone as a pioneer to develop strategies and concepts on how to advance this industry on the islands. "The government institutions in the region learned very quickly," Luca says with a wink. And indeed, the plan of the Canary Islands government worked for the first time: thanks to the excellent circumstances, Luca's company quickly grew and took on global projects. Employees (some from the islands, some from around the world) were happy to join his company and thrived in the relaxed, creative environment. "Happy people make good games, and our people are always happy because it's so beautiful here," Luca says. He can no longer imagine taking a different path: "The people, the good weather, the absolutely fantastic help from the government and the Canary Islands Special Zone are something special. Everyone is just very helpful and helps you make new contacts, like here at Gamescom. It's different from everywhere else." He actually misses very little on the Canary Islands because "even the Italian food here is excellent!"
Drakhar Studio
Another success story from the Canary Islands is being written by Luis Torres with Drakhar Studio. However, success initially took its time for him. Since 2007, he had been in the gaming market, developing games for Spanish clients. A few years later, he met some people through a work connection who were producing mobile games under the name "Drakhar Games." They were doing it quite well, but no one there really had a knack for the business side of a studio, and the company was on the brink of collapse. With full risk, Luis bought the studio, kept the development running as it was but started taking care of the economic aspects.
With "Ginger: Beyond the Crystal", the studio, which was still producing in Madrid at the time, landed a big hit in 2016. But afterward, the projects dried up. "We had an ongoing project, but nothing else after that. It looked really bad," Luis says. "We had a big pitch with Outright open for the 'Paw Patrol' game. The deal would have saved us, but we couldn't compete with other studios on price. So, we faced a difficult situation." He had heard about the excellent work of Canary Islands Special Zone and the opportunities it had created for gaming studios on the Canary Islands through contacts. However, at that time, all nine employees of his company were based in Madrid. "I just asked them: Are you ready to overhaul your lives for what we do here? If we want this project, we need to drastically change something." Convincing his team wasn't as difficult as he thought: everyone said yes, probably because their new home for the next few years would be the Canary Islands. And in Spain, everyone knows how beautiful it is there.
Thanks to the lower taxes, cost of living, and the help of the gaming institutions on the islands, Drakhar Studio won the big pitch and stayed afloat in 2019. But what Luis couldn't foresee was that not only did the studio improve economically, but the employees also became more passionate, happier, and simply better. With this new energy, Luis secured multiple big deals in the following years and grew extremely fast in a very competitive field thanks to the financial opportunities on the Canary Islands. Customers like Sony Animation Pictures trusted the studio. Today, Drakhar's team counts 42 employees on Tenerife. Interestingly, all nine who came from Madrid are still there. They have bought houses and love living on the Canary Islands. One of the employees even found true love there and got married! Luis is sure that Drakhar's future will be on Tenerife for many years. To those who are not sure whether they should make the leap there, he says: "Bet on yourself. Be passionate. Be brave. The world is not always easy, but there are always opportunities, and only you can seize them."
Triple O Games & No Brakes Games
In addition to Luis and Luca, many others have found their home on the Canary Islands – and not just professionally. Sitara from No Brakes Games, for example, talks about the "studio villa where we come together every day to create fun and exciting games with all our creativity. But not only that – we also have a fantastic work-life balance here, can take a dip in the pool during lunch break, or enjoy the waves on the beach in the evening." On the other hand, Christian from Triple O Games talks about the diverse advantages: "Various investors have chosen us because they know the advantages of the Canary Islands and believe in our success because of that. And not just investors: talents are drawn here due to great climate, high security, and an excellent location with access to three continents. The nature is exceptional, and you simply have a sense of freedom."
The Canary Islands are becoming one of the top locations in the industry and certainly the number one place to consider for studios or experts in gaming.
And for all the women in the gaming industry, Sarah and Theresa from "The Game Kitchen" have a message with which we would like to conclude this article: "Even if it's tough at first, stick to your dreams. There are companies that truly care about you and where you will feel welcome. Especially here on the Canary Islands. Things are changing in the industry, and we need more of us driving that change. We know there are many girls pursuing a career in gaming—so go for it! You will love it."