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At the tip of May, iGaming Today and IMARC Group revealed a complete report on the gaming market in Turkey, positioning the nation as a rising drive within the world gaming trade. According to the information, Turkey’s gaming market is anticipated to generate revenues of $3.33 billion in 2025, with a mean annual development price of seven–8% projected to proceed no less than till the tip of the last decade. The forecast for 2029 stands at $4.48 billion, almost double the scale of the market 5 years earlier.
Behind the numbers lies a uncommon financial and cultural story: a rustic the place younger professionals of their 20s and 30s, sport designers, builders, and efficiency entrepreneurs, have remodeled gaming from a distinct segment pursuit into a significant export trade. Istanbul has turn into a magnet for distributors, builders, and buyers from around the globe.
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Games (from left): Match Villains, Kitchen Masters, Match Valley, Pawzzle
(screenshot)
“What cyber is to Israel, gaming is to Turkey,” says Akin Babayigit, one of many trade’s most outstanding buyers and entrepreneurs.
Babayigit, a number one determine within the golden age of Turkish gaming, beforehand served as head of gaming at Facebook and as head of enterprise growth and development at Skype and Activision Blizzard King.
Born in Turkey and raised there till age 16, Babayigit now lives in London. He helped form the Turkish gaming ecosystem throughout his time at Peak Games, which was acquired in 2020 by U.S. cellular gaming large Zynga for $1.8 billion. He later co-founded Tripledot Studios in London with Israelis Lior Shiff and Eyal Chameides, constructing certainly one of Europe’s fastest-growing cellular gaming firms. Since 2024, Babayigit has led Arcadia Gaming Partners, a $100 million fund investing completely in early-stage cellular gaming startups.
According to Babayigit, solely 4 international locations have efficiently “cracked the code” of gaming: China, Turkey, Vietnam, and Israel.
“They all have strong technology education, a young and dynamic population, and a business culture that understands that trial and error drives growth,” he says. “But Turkey has one more advantage, it’s a nation of storytellers. The combination of intuitive creativity and deep marketing know-how is what truly sets us apart.”
“Hollywood meets a hedge fund”
Babayigit describes the Turkish gaming trade’s financial mannequin as one which blends creative intuition with analytical precision.
“It’s almost as if Hollywood met a hedge fund,” he says. “There are visual artists and storytellers, but also analysts who measure every metric and understand data. While most countries choose one side, Turkey has managed to combine both.”
This mannequin, he provides, was constructed intentionally.
“The Turkish government understood that gaming isn’t just entertainment, it’s an export. It generates foreign currency, jobs, and reputation for the country. That’s why it supports gaming entrepreneurs just as it does car or electronics manufacturers.”
Babayigit outlines the inducement system that has turned Turkey into one of the vital developer-friendly international locations on the earth. Companies working in state-recognized know-how zones get pleasure from vital tax breaks, together with exemptions or reductions on income reinvested in R&D. The authorities additionally reimburses a part of employers’ nationwide insurance coverage prices and subsidizes 60–70% of worldwide advertising bills for digital video games, together with social media campaigns.
Developers exporting video games overseas obtain partial refunds of platform charges charged by Apple’s App Store and Google Play, in addition to reductions on hire and firm registration in designated tech zones and wage help for brand new workers.
“This incentive system is almost unprecedented globally,” Babayigit says. “It allows young entrepreneurs to start a company within a week and begin operating internationally. Every six months, a new generation of studios is born here.”
Hobby or nationwide development engine?
Barak Rabinowitz, managing companion at F2 Venture Capital, agrees.
“Gaming is the next opportunity Israeli high-tech could miss,” he says. “In Turkey, the government is investing millions, while in Israel we haven’t even created a dedicated track within the Innovation Authority. Where we could have been a powerhouse, we remain niche players.”
According to Rabinowitz, the distinction between Turkey and Israel isn’t technological – it’s perceptual.
“In Turkey, gaming is viewed as a national growth engine. In Israel, it’s still seen as a hobby.”
Rabinowitz, a former CEO of Mytopia, bought to on-line gaming firm 888 for $18 million, and founding father of Amuso, co-founded F2 with Jonathan Saacks. The half-billion-dollar fund focuses on early-stage investments in gaming, insurtech, and legaltech.
“We believe in entrepreneurs with vision, even before the market recognizes the opportunity,” he says. “And in gaming, the opportunity is clear. It’s an industry driving the entire digital economy, from advertising to AI.”
The relationship between Babayigit and Rabinowitz started in 2007, when Babayigit was at Facebook and Rabinowitz was creating video games for the platform. When Babayigit based Arcadia, the 2 started collaborating. Arcadia’s first two Israeli investments, made collectively with F2, have been in Sett, which develops AI instruments for gaming, and one other undisclosed firm.
“There’s far more collaboration between the two countries than people realize,” Babayigit says. “I’ve worked with dozens of Israeli teams, and politics never entered the room. There’s mutual respect and a shared ability to move fast.”
“Gaming is a field where creativity transcends politics. If Israel and Turkey continue to cooperate, they could become a regional hub for digital innovation, not only in gaming, but also in AI, advertising, and user experience.”
Babayigit is already trying forward.
“I plan to make at least ten more investments in Israel this year,” he says. “I don’t focus on valuations, I focus on people. There’s a new generation of developers, product managers, and designers here who grew up at Playtika, Moon Active, and SuperPlay. They know what success looks like, and I want to be there when they build the next big thing.”
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