Joy Keene, the NZGDA executive director, calls the growth an inspiring success story and stresses the need for robust education and vocational pathways to sustain expansion and job creation.

The overall trend points to strengthening export potential for New Zealand game developers, aided by government policy and funding that have accelerated development and outputs.

New Zealand’s game development revenue surpassed $1 billion two years ahead of original expectations, helped by the 2023 introduction of the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) and CODE funding.

Analysts project the sector’s annual revenue to double by the end of the decade, with a breakthrough year marking accelerated growth.

The NZ Game Developers Association (NZGDA) reports that New Zealand’s game development sector is growing at more than 20 times the global average, driven by strong government-industry collaboration and concrete economic benefits.

Industry growth is described as outpacing the global average by more than twentyfold year over year, signaling a rapid expansion in the sector.

NZGDA had forecast hitting the $1 billion target by 2028 following the 2023 launch of GDSR.

Keene emphasizes strengthening educational and training pathways, noting that game development acts as a weightless export that helps shield the economy from global uncertainties.

Government support through the GDSR and CODE is a key driver of expansion, with NZGDA estimating the government earns an eight-to-one return on investment.

Officials say these programs enable developers to produce games more efficiently, promising sustained returns for every dollar invested.

The development is framed as the result of both local creative capital and tangible external support, creating a favorable ecosystem for future growth.

Industry stakeholders prioritize education and vocational pathways to sustain growth and mitigate potential talent bottlenecks as studios scale.