The Catalan video game industry features established giants, award-winning independent studios, and solid public backing, all aligned with a society recognizing that this field extends far beyond entertainment for a few. Now one of the sector’s leading platforms, GameLab, has set in motion a plan to elevate the industry to a new level: an annual gathering anchored in Barcelona that serves as a European and global benchmark. It is clear that this event acts as a catalyst, with its main organizer, Iván Fernández-Lobo, already internationally recognized.
The Catalan capital hosts the event from next Wednesday through Friday. After two decades, the gathering has built a reputation with regional summits in different cities, all aimed at transforming the sector. Catalonia stands as a reference region within the industry. In Spain, the video game sector generated just over 2 billion euros in 2022, with nearly half of that turnover earned in Catalonia, where more than 3,000 people depend on the industry. The current objective is to make this impact even more specific and lasting by anchoring the meeting here and formalizing the potential already acknowledged behind the scenes.
“The role of this forum is clear in shaping what happens in this ecosystem,” says Fernández-Lobo, who highlights the link between the event and the arrival of major international companies into the Catalan scene. “I manage companies that don’t always appear every week in Barcelona, yet they want to come and have already come. Gamelab is one of the first touchpoints because it is a well-known brand in the video game industry,” he notes.
Fernández-Lobo envisions turning the gathering into a compact hub of global influence — a Davos-like space for video games. More importantly, he sees the goal as achievable. “There is potential to grow this event into something bigger and to lift it to a global European level, because Europe still lacks a dedicated economic forum for the industry,” he says, stressing the aim of reaching decision makers in companies who are genuinely invested in Catalonia’s project.
an entity in itself
To shape the event toward this ambition, GameLab is fostering the creation of a formal organization that brings together public and private sectors. The goal is to consolidate GameLab’s legacy at the level of branding, reputation, and networks, as explained by a senior representative of the industry.
Even as the project unfolds, noticeable differences are emerging from past editions of the GameLab forum. Barcelona has grown more connected to Catalonia as a whole, and the environment has become stronger and more integrated since 2019. “You must know how to build and manage everything being created in Catalonia; it’s not about waiting for a snowball to roll in by itself,” Fernández-Lobo remarks.
Gamelab will host dialogues, discussions, and roundtables across Europe, leveraging spaces like MediaTIC for corporate and investment meetings, the Music Palace for gatherings, and Tech Barcelona venues for entrepreneur-focused sessions. The event’s aim is to unify the region’s efforts and propel ambitious projects onto the international stage, creating a sustainable platform for growth and collaboration in the video game sector.