2025 Annual Industry report released
THE 2025 ANNUAL INDUSTRY REPORT IS HERE
If there is one phrase to describe the past year for New Zealand game development, it is unprecedented growth - and our new 2025 Annual Industry Report captures it in full.
Today we are publishing the 2025 Annual Industry Report, the most comprehensive picture yet of the state of our industry. It brings together the results of our 2025 Industry Survey, the impact of government support via the Game Development Sector Rebate (GDSR) and CODE, a year of community and events, the games we released, and a look ahead at what comes next.
A RECORD YEAR, BY THE NUMBERS
For the financial year ending 31 March 2025, New Zealand game studios generated a record-breaking $758.9 million in pre-tax income, a staggering 38.4% year-on-year increase. That is well in excess of the single-digit growth expected for the global industry in 2025, and it confirms games as one of Aotearoa's fastest-growing creative and technology exports.
The industry remains export-led, with around 95% of income coming from overseas markets. Employment grew rapidly alongside revenue, up 29.2% to 1,418 full-time equivalents, a net gain of 321 roles. Studios remain overwhelmingly Kiwi, with 83% NZ owned and operated, and confidence is high: nearly two-thirds of respondents expect to hold or grow their revenue in 2025/2026, with more than a quarter forecasting growth above 20 percent.
THE GAMES BEHIND THE GROWTH
The numbers are backed by world-beating titles. Path of Exile 2 (Grinding Gear Games) and Abiotic Factor (Deep Field Games) led a major year of launches, while locally developed Roblox games Grow a Garden (Splitting Point Studios) and 99 Nights in the Forest (Grandma's Favourite Games) exploded into the global mainstream, reaching the next generation of players. The Report also rounds up the year's 2025 releases, from Tales of the Shire (Weta Workshop) and Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days (PikPok) to Toroa: Skycall (Atawhai Interactive), and celebrates our award winners, led by Abiotic Factor's Grand Prize win at the NZ Game Awards.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT THAT PAYS FOR ITSELF
The Report details the impact of the Game Development Sector Rebate, which in its second year saw 40 studios share $22.4 million in claims. For every dollar invested via the GDSR in 2024/2025, the government has a direct return of $4.74. Nearly half of recipients (46%) said the support helped them retain staff, one in three (32%) were able to hire new employees, and 33% reinvested in their business.
CODE (Centre of Digital Excellence) is more than delivering: 30 studios supported through funding rounds, 47 teams backed by travel and international attendance grants, mentorship for over 130 teams across New Zealand, 16 workshops and masterclasses, games pitches at GDC and Gamescom, and 18 teams supported at PAX AUS. CODE-funded Abiotic Factor's international success is proof of the model working end to end.
A COMMUNITY ON THE UP
It was a landmark year for our events too. NZGDC attracted over 970 delegates with more than 100 talks and panels and a showcase of over 60 NZ-made games. Wellington Games Week hosted over 24 events, with the Kiwi Game Zone at Takina featuring more than 70 NZ-made games and drawing over 2,500 visitors, alongside a Made in NZ Steam Sale that drove unprecedented global sales. We also honoured our second cohort of Pioneers of Play: Scott Walker (Ninja Kiwi), Chelsea Rapp (CerebralFix) and Jonathan Rogers (Grinding Gear Games).
THE NEXT LEVEL
As NZGDA Chair Anna Barham writes in the Report, "It's time for the New Zealand game industry to level up." The $1 billion annual revenue milestone is now just over the horizon, and the Report sets out what comes next: investing in creative technology in our schools, creating pathways for students and juniors, developing ethical AI tools governed by New Zealand law, and encouraging studios to expand into publishing.
The 2025 Annual Industry Report is available to read and download now.
Read the 2025 Annual Industry Report: [HERE]
