Lithuania’s profile in the international gaming industry is set to receive a significant boost with the arrival of the largest electronic sports operator in EEMEA region Game Show – the company which has Belarussian roots, now going globally. The company is establishing an office in Vilnius. The office will specialise in computer game broadcasting and programme production with an aim to grow into a truly global player.
For Game Show’s founder and CEO, Alexey Burdyko, the access Vilnius provides to Western markets, plus its wealth of tech talent and developed internet infrastructure, make it an ideal location for the company. ”As we wanted to expand further to Western markets, we decided to set up an office in Lithuania,” explains Mr Burdyko “The capital city Vilnius was a natural choice. It is a geographically convenient location – very close to Belarus, and it provides good connections with Western countries from which the teams of players arrive.”
In addition to tournament broadcasting, the Vilnius office is also planning to organise computer game festivals. Mr Burdyko believes that such events will be the perfect opportunity to introduce Vilnius to game lovers and professionals from around the world.
Game Show’s Vilnius office will have a staff of fifty skilled specialists, including broadcast technicians, presenters, commentators, event organisers, and IT specialists. Some of them will come from Belarus and Russia – strong Russian and eSports background is needed, and until now company was unable to find enough of such local specialists.
Game Show plan to recruit and train IT and broadcasting specialists in Lithuania, alongside bringing their own experts from Belarus and Russia. “Broadcasting computer games, organising tournaments and producing programmes are highly specialised activities. We are going to train and employ some of the specialists here and some of our professionals will be brought from Belarus, as we simply cannot find them in Lithuania,” Mr Burdyko noted.
For Mantas Katinas, general manager of Invest Lithuania – a foreign direct investment development agency – Game Show’s decision to set up in Lithuania is further proof of the country’s attractiveness to businesses in the gaming industry.
“The e-sports industry is growing at an enormous rate worldwide,” notes Mr Katinas, “ and analysts forecast that in the nearest future this industry will grow by fifty per cent. Its net value is forecast to reach almost $500 million in 2017. The arrival in Lithuania of Game Show, a company which is growing exponentially, will without a doubt enhance the developing game industry in Lithuania. It will also help Lithuania to hit its target of becoming the centre of the gaming industry in Central and Eastern Europe”, states Mr Katinas.
In recent years, increasing numbers of skilled specialists and game development companies from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine have been moving their operations to Vilnius. For this reason, Invest Lithuania has recently published a special guide specifically targeted at individuals, investors and companies from these countries. The guide is designed to help them familiarise themselves with Lithuania’s geography, culture and society, and provides detailed information on establishing a business, the commercial and residential rental markets, migration procedures and other important topics.
