First Playable 2023, the fifth edition of the business event for the video game sector in Italy, organized by IIDEA and the Toscana Film Commission – Fondazione Sistema Toscana, in collaboration with the ICE Agency, has reached an extraordinary milestone this year, with record breaking attendance.
The initiative, which took place on 6 and 7 July at the Nana Bianca innovation hub in Florence, attracted an unprecedented number of Italian video game developers, investors and publishers from all over the world.
More than 500 professionals from 180 Italian development studios and 45 publishers and investors from 12 countries worldwide took part in the event – including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Mexico , Japan, Germany and Italy. This international participation has offered important opportunities for networking and collaboration, creating a stimulating environment for the growth and development of the Italian video game industry. Over 1,100 1:1 business meetings were held during the two-day event, offering Italian developers the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations with international operators present in Florence. These intense meeting sessions have fostered the exchange of ideas and the creation of new connections and partnerships that will further promote the growth and innovation of the gaming industry in Italy in the near future.
Thalita Malagò, General Director of IIDEA said: “We are very pleased with the success of the fifth edition of First Playable, which has just concluded in the wonderful city of Florence. This year we recorded an unprecedented turnout, a clear sign of the important consolidation phase that the video game production scene is experiencing today in our country. This success is a symbol of the strength and vitality of the video game industry in Italy. IIDEA is particularly proud of how First Playable has now become an event not to be missed, not only for the local developer community, but also for international publishers and investors. The event represents a unique opportunity to share ideas, develop new partnerships and show the world the innovation and creativity that the video game industry is capable of expressing made in Italy”.
Stefania Ippoliti, Director of Toscana Film Commission also commented, underlining the importance of the collaboration with IIDEA: “Toscana Film Commission has always been very attentive to audiovisual innovation, for this reason video games, right from the start, have been the subject of great interest for us. We are a region full of tradition, but also of curiosity for everything that is able to intercept the interests of new generations, for technology and for internationalization. Video games have shown that they can create development, employment and an interesting growth for our country. Therefore, it is with enormous satisfaction that we can announce the excellent numbers of this fifth Florence edition.”
The 2023 edition was able to count on the support of various partners who, also through exclusive content, brought prestige and value to the event. Among these, Google and Unreal Engine, Diamond Partner of the initiative. Silver Partners include Acer, AWS for Games, LCA law firm, Maga Animation Studio, and TikTok. Other partners include Broken Arms Games, Memorable Games, 34BigThings, Climax Studios and Women in Games Italia. The Sustainability Partner was Treebu, a Benefit Company and innovative start-up that supported First Playable to give life to the creation of a real forest to partially offset the emissions of this edition of the event.
This year, for the first time, the MiC – Ministry of Culture was also present at the event, which opened the works of First Playable 2023 with a workshop organized by the Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual focused on tax credit and how much this measure has made it more interesting and convenient for foreign operators to invest in national videogame productions.
Finally, there was the wonderful award ceremony of the Italian Video Games Awards 2023, presented by the Irish games host, critic and streamer Aoife Wilson and staged live on 6 July from the Nana Bianca auditorium. During the evening, the five winners of the prestigious awards were announced and awarded, celebrating Italian talent in the video game industry. The evening ended with the engaging Italian Video Game Awards Party.
First Playable continues to consolidate its role as a leading business event for the video game industry in Italy, offering a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas, the creation of partnerships and the recognition of Italian talent in the local and international videogame scene.
Stay tuned for an update on the unmissable event next year, First Playable 2024!
The Italian Video Game Awards 2023 ceremony is available to watch back on the IIDEA YouTube channel, and the list of finalists and winners is available on the First Playable website: www.firstplayable.it/italian-video-game-awards/
For more details on First Playable and to consult the list of guests and publishers and investors present, visit the website www.firstplayable.it
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