The Game Development Ecosystem of Uzbekistan: Companies, Startups, and Educational Initiatives

How the industry is developing

IT Park Uzbekistan, established in 2019 as the main driver of industry growth, offers:
— tax incentives and simplified company registration
— office infrastructure and acceleration programs
— support for the export of digital products.

Despite this, the industry remains fragmented: most projects are funded by their own resources and are oriented toward international markets.

Market size and team structure

According to the GameDev Survey 2025 study:
— approximately 50 companies, more than 600 specialists
—almost a 10-fold growth in studios since 2021
— the volume of game development studio services in 2024 was $59.6 million, with exports reaching $55.5 million.

Teams: 72.7% have up to three people, 18.2% have 4–10 people, 5.5% are larger studios, and 50.9% of developers do not generate income; most projects are in the pre-revenue stage.

Companies

East Games
The country's largest game studio with more than 90 employees. The company participates in the development of projects "World of Tanks," "World of Warships," and "Tanks Blitz" and serves as the Uzbekistan representative office for Lesta Games. The games are available on international platforms and have millions of downloads worldwide, making East Games one of the examples of a successful local studio entering the global market.

Doomers Entertainment
Not only creates games but also serves as a platform for the development of game development studios in the region. The company conducts acceleration programs, helps teams with funding, marketing, and preparing projects for release, and supports knowledge exchange and training for young developers.

AmayaKids
The company develops safe and educational games for children, combining learning with gameplay. Products develop creative thinking, allow exploring the world through role-playing and interactive adventures, and an open learning format gives children the freedom to learn and play at their own pace.

Hubs and educational initiatives

IT Park Uzbekistan
A technology hub and infrastructure center for startups with offices, exhibitions, and accelerators. The platform supports partnerships with international companies, helps startups enter global markets, and develops the country's IT ecosystem.

GameDevHQ Academy
A specialized educational platform for game development, including training in programming, game design, and 3D graphics. The academy conducts masterclasses with industry professionals, organizes networking for developers and investors, and creates a community for knowledge exchange.

Xsolla Academy
An international network of mentors and accelerators with access to game commercialization tools. The program aims to prepare specialists for work in the global market and facilitates the integration of Uzbek studios into international gaming ecosystems.

GameDev Goethe
A cultural and educational project featuring VR and AR projects, masterclasses, and exhibitions of game works. The initiative helps develop creative thinking, experimental ideas, and fosters a creative culture among young developers in the country.

UIC Games
A video game development studio founded in 2018. The company engages in creating game projects and gamification products, combining technological solutions with creative storytelling. The team of developers, designers, and artists works on creating immersive game worlds and interactive projects, and also develops an educational platform for training young specialists who want to work in the gaming industry.

Opportunities for game development

Incubators, educational programs, accelerators, Game Fest, and Game Jams are held in the region, helping young teams launch projects and enter international markets.

Initiatives such as Game Fest, GameDev Goethe, GameDevHQ Academy, programs at IT Park Uzbekistan, and various Game Jams and hackathons create a space for learning, networking, and finding investment.

Geography and target markets

Game development is concentrated mainly in Tashkent, where 92.7% of specialists work.

Most studios are oriented toward exports, preferring markets in the CIS, the Middle East, and Africa, while the local market accounts for only 10.9%.

Obstacles and prospects

In Uzbekistan, the video game industry is developing slowly, constrained by a number of systemic problems:

1. Lack of specialists and experts.
2. Lack of systematic education and game development schools.
3. Lack of funding even for small studios.

This vicious cycle hinders industry growth: few experts lead to poor training, poor training results in few professionals, and the lack of professionals complicates attracting investment. Additionally, many developers lack skills in planning, budget allocation, resource assessment, formulating USP, and building go-to-market strategies.

Despite the difficulties, the industry demonstrates steady growth. AI-based tools simplify coding, art creation, trailer production, and game promotion, while simultaneously increasing competition in the global market. Low-budget indie projects are successfully sold on platforms like Steam.

In Uzbekistan, accelerators and support centers are emerging that help studios validate ideas, prepare projects for funding, and build market entry strategies. Such initiatives give local studios a chance to create competitive games and increase their chances of success abroad.