Turkey’s Gaming Market Growth

Hear from Caglar Eger, CEO and expert on the gaming industry, on why the Turkish games sector is booming and will continue to grow.

We’re excited to kick off a new blog series with Caglar Eger, the CEO of exmox. In this series, Caglar will share his thoughts and knowledge on the gaming and ad tech industries. Expect some great insights, industry news, and observations from someone who’s been there and done that.

Caglar Eger, born in Hamburg but deeply connected to his Turkish roots, has carved a remarkable path in the gaming industry, boasting over a decade of experience. Now, as the CEO of exmox, he’s leveraging his extensive industry know-how and merging it with the innovative power of rewarded ad formats.

In the first part of our series, he shares his insights into Turkey’s thriving gaming market and explores how this vibrant hotspot for gaming studios has developed.

What factors are contributing to the Turkish gaming industry’s growth?

I think that this growth has been building for a long time, really since I joined the industry in 2012. The boom is a result of a large and highly motivated and engaged young population, investments from international businesses, and on top of that, support from the government to enable industry growth.

How does the government support Turkey’s gaming market?

The Turkish government has implemented several policies to support and nurture the gaming sector:

• Reinvestment through tax policies: The lack of capital gains tax and certain exemptions from income tax for designers and developers allows more money to be reinvested in the games sector.
• Subsidizing salaries: As announced by Tugbek Olek, the Head of Advisory Board of the Digital Game Developers Association, the government covers up to 50% and €50k of the salaries of two development staff members.
• Reimbursement of app store commissions: Studios are also reimbursed by up to 50% of the iOS Store and Google Play’s 30% commission fees, with a cap of €100k.

What role does the population of Turkey play in the games industry growth?

To discover Caglar's response to this, read more on our website.