15 February 2026 · Bogusław Kisielewski

Warsaw Gamedev 2025/2026: From Game Factory to a Mature Ecosystem

The Warsaw games industry has been growing exponentially for several years, but it was only the latest report on the state of the sector for 2025/2026 that made me fully aware of the scale of change that has already happened. It also made me aware of the challenges I face as someone who has managed change professionally for years.

The capital has officially become Europe’s largest gamedev hub by number of employees – ahead of London and Stockholm. It is a great success, but above all a turning point that calls for a new approach to management, to talent and to the business model.

I read the report not as a statistician, but through the lens of twenty years of work in media, technology and capital markets. In these numbers I see a living organism that has to transform if it does not want to hit a glass ceiling.

1. A leader with weaknesses in its structure

The numbers are clear: Warsaw is no longer an up-and-coming market. It is the centre of European gamedev. Yet the structure of the sector resembles a building that has reached the limits of its current shape:

The 12 largest companies employ 63% of all workers.

Over 90% of entities are micro-studios, often with fewer than 10 people.

There is a lack of mid-sized companies (30–100 people), which in mature hubs stabilise the project portfolio.

It is this missing “middle” that I consider the biggest systemic risk for Warsaw gamedev.

2. Consolidation or federation — in my view there is no other way

If we want to keep our leading position, the sector has to follow the path I know from IT and media-tech: less fragmentation, more repeatability.

This is not about stifling creativity. It is about structures that take the operational burden off creators:

shared services,

professional production standards,

consistent project risk management.

My experience points to two scenarios: classic consolidation through M&A, or a federated model in which studios keep their creative independence but operate on a shared operational platform. I recommend the latter — it is less invasive and fits the culture of the industry better.

3. The gap I see: Publishing & Marketing

Warsaw studios are known for the quality of their production, but making money from games is a completely different skill. I keep seeing the same pattern: we make great games and hand the most important market decisions to foreign publishers.

Together with those decisions we give away margin and control over our own IP. I want to encourage the industry to build local publishing capabilities. We have to stop merely “producing” and learn to “manage success” globally. That is the missing piece of the puzzle.

4. Talent and the cost of living: the “Warsaw Hub, Poland Remote” model

Warsaw is getting more expensive, and global competition for senior staff (as much as 69% of the workforce!) is ruthless. Let’s not pretend that an office in the city centre is enough to attract people.

That is why I propose a model that has worked for me in other projects:

Warsaw Hub (the decision-making centre) + Poland Remote (a network of specialists from all over Poland).

This combination reduces cost pressure and improves retention. It does, however, require mature management of communication — and that is exactly where I see my role as a leader of change.

5. Summary: the era of institutionalisation begins

Warsaw gamedev is taking its maturity exam. The time of “guerrilla” methods is over — what is needed now is professional management, mergers and the strategic building of brands. I know this process well from the inside, and I am convinced we have everything it takes to become not only the largest, but also the most stable hub in Europe.

Based on a Polish post at boguslawkisielewski.pl.