Gaming Cities: Places Where Development Thrives

A closer look at some of the biggest little cities in game development.

By: Steve Watts
August 11, 2011

If you follow game development, you’re probably used to hearing a handful of cities cited endlessly as video game hubs. If you’re an aspiring developer, you may even get discouraged with the constantly reinforced impression that to break into the industry, you’ll need to move to Los Angeles, Seattle, London, or Tokyo. While those cities are bustling hubs of game talent, some developers simply can’t make the move — or don’t want to.

Don’t worry, though. The game industry isn’t bulletproof, but it was sustaining itself through the recession much longer than other industries, leading many areas to offer their own waves of tax breaks to attract studios. Between state-run incentives and nearby schools, game studios are opening in lesser-known cities; in fact, you can probably find at least a dozen studios in your neck of the woods. As a primer, we’ve compiled several burgeoning game cities absolutely bursting with game development talent.