Polish game development industry at Expo 2025 – how to attract the Japanese gaming market?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Frostpunk, 60 Seconds, House Flipper – these well-known games have one thing in common: they were created in Polish game development studios and have earned enormous acclaim from players around the world. Although still relatively young, the Polish gaming industry is developing at a very dynamic pace, generating steadily increasing revenues. With 46 game publishers, Poland ranks second in Europe. The sector employs over 15,000 people, placing Poland third after France and Germany. Today, Poland’s gaming industry is among the top three gaming employers in Europe. Around 96% of all revenues of Polish game producers come from exports, amounting to approximately 1 billion USD annually.

Poland at Expo 2025 – promoting the gaming sector

As part of the Economic Program at Expo 2025, Poland has identified the game development sector as one of the key areas with high potential for cooperation with Japan. Today, gaming is not just entertainment but also a creative, innovative and knowledge-based industry, which makes it particularly attractive to Japanese partners.

Japan is one of the largest video game markets in the world, with a well-established culture of digital entertainment, advanced technology and strong demand for new titles. It is also a country with its own legendary gaming history – a history in which Polish productions can also find their place, especially those that offer unique storytelling, high artistic and technological quality and universal emotions.

During the World Expo 2025, Poland Pavilion features a section of the exhibition called the Plantation of Ideas, showcasing groundbreaking concepts and innovations united by the Polish “creativity gene” and effectively promoting the successes of Poland’s game development industry. Gathered under the overarching theme “Oh, this game is from Poland too!”, the examples include well-known, though not always immediately associated with Poland, video games – presented through a multimedia display and eight meticulously crafted dioramas of titles such as Frostpunk, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Witcher 3. The zone highlights Poland’s best-selling games popular on the Japanese market, set against a dynamic animation from a game called The Invincible, created by Starward Industries  – a studio awarded the Polityka Passport for this project – based on the novel of the same name by Stanisław Lem.

Among the events promoting Polish game development at Expo 2025 will be game showcases, trailer premieres, panel discussions with creators, and interactive zones. Independent (indie) studios play an important role in the Expo program, with their original ideas and aesthetics perfectly matching the tastes of Japanese players.

Poland on Tokyo Game Show 2025

Between September 26 and 29, 2025, the prestigious Tokyo Game Show will take place in Japan’s capital. The participation of Polish companies in this major video game trade fair is supported under Poland’s economic program at Expo 2025. It is an opportunity to establish direct contacts with Japanese distributors, investors, and industry media.

As part of the cooperation with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Tokyo Game Show Business Matching, Polish studios will showcase their portfolios and will have the opportunity to secure partners for activities such as localization, marketing, or joint development.

Opportunities and challenges in cooperation

Poland can offer Japanese partners:

• Strong IP – brands like The Witcher and Frostpunk are known worldwide.
• Creativity and independence – many Polish studios work on original, ambitious projects.
• High production quality – Polish games receive awards and high praise from critics.

It’s also worth adding that modern Poland is both a strong game development market and a dynamic esports industry. Poland hosts professional esports leagues with the participation of 20 000 players from the Central and Eastern European region.

Japan, for its part, expects above all:

• Cultural sensitivity – localization and storytelling tailored to Japanese audiences.
• Trust in the brand – building relationships and long-term cooperation.
• New experiences – unique stories, mechanics, and emotions.

Expo 2025 as matchmaking platform

Thanks to its presence at Expo 2025, Poland is building a solid foundation for exporting technology and digital content to Japan. As part of the matchmaking program, which facilitates finding business partners for trade exchange, B2B panels, company portfolio presentations, and participation in industry events with Japanese representatives from the creative industries are planned.

Cooperation between Polish studios and Japanese partners may include:

• joint game development,
• distribution and localization,
• technology exchange,
• joint educational and incubation programs.

Expo 2025 and the Tokyo Game Show act as catalysts for changing Japan’s perception of Polish gaming. The exhibition at Poland Pavilion in Osaka, along with the accompanying economic events, offers a great opportunity for Poland to showcase itself both as a consumer and a creator of top-level content. For Japan, this opens up the possibility to discover a new source of innovation and cooperation with Poland in a field that connects generations, cultures, and markets.

Fot.: A. Stykowski / PAIH