RE-DESIGN. Italian Video Games and Game Design Land in Poland

In recent years, the nerve center of the European video game industry, historically located between London and Paris, has shifted eastward, finding fertile ground in what was considered one of the continent's poorest countries just thirty years ago: Poland.

After years of growth, talking about video games in Poland today doesn't mean talking about a growing sector, but a strategic sector of the national economy, capable of leaving its mark on many other aspects of Polish society: such as the school system (with the introduction of This War Of Mine in the list of study materials) or politics (with various cities using gaming-related technologies in urban planning).

Today, the Polish video game industry is one of the most vibrant in the world. It boasts more than 820 active studios and almost 15,000 professionals; staggering numbers that have made it the third-largest European production hub and are the result of a careful state strategy that has made video games a real asset for the national economy.

It's no surprise then that the rapidly expanding Italian industry looks to Poland in its journey of growth, affirmation, and evolution.
And it is in this light that the event RE-DESIGN - Regenerating Virtual Space Through Italian Game Design, organized by the Italian Cultural Institutes of Warsaw and Krakow in collaboration with The Italian Trade Agency, the Italian Embassy in Warsaw, and the Ministry of Culture, should be understood.

A formidable task force enriched by the presence of IIDEA and Video Games Poland, which acted as a bridge between the various development studios and professionals from the two countries.

RE-DESIGN, the meeting between the Italian and Polish video game industries

The event was structured in two phases.
In Warsaw, the Italian delegation, also accompanied by the Italian Ambassador to Poland, Luca Franchetti Pardo, and the General Director of IIDEA, Thalita Malagò, held a panel on the power of Italian video games to represent the places of our country and their memories and beliefs.

The delegation then moved to Krakow where they discussed with Video Games Poland the hybridizations the medium is experiencing and how research and experimentation are giving rise to new forms of gaming and game design.

The Italian software houses - Stormind Games, CINIC Games, Memorable Games, Invader Studios, Nacon Studio Milan, Untold Games, Broken Arms Games, Reply Game Studios, Volcanite Games, and Studio Evil - then had the opportunity to meet Polish excellences such as CD Projekt, 11 Bit Studios, and Frozen District with the aim of promoting discussion and collaboration between the excellences of the two countries.

A meeting that went far beyond the institutional context, also showing how Italian representatives are now well aware of the importance of the video game sector.

In this regard, the statements of Thalita Malagò should be highlighted, according to whom “These appointments represent a strategic opportunity to enhance video games in their cultural dimension, as a central language of our time and a soft power tool capable of narrating identities, imaginaries, and visions, as well as to recognize game design as one of the expressions of contemporary Italian creativity”, and it is no coincidence that Poland was chosen for the event, which according to the Italian Ambassador to Warsaw Luca Franchetti Pardo is “a leading country in the European video game landscape” and with which continuous dialogue, both at an institutional and industrial level, must be strengthened.

Face to face with Italian developers. Between history and future

After the institutional meetings, in Krakow we were able to relax with the Italian studios present in a panel where current and future projects were discussed, as well as current topics such as the now inevitable topic of artificial intelligence.

The discussion was opened by the words of Roberto Cafiero, Director of the Italian Trade Agency in Warsaw, who emphasized how such events are important for bringing Italian ideas and design to the world.
Cafiero then stressed that despite the Italian video game industry not yet being at the level of the Polish one, it is achieving significant numbers - with revenue that has grown by 36% reaching 200 million euros - and the relationship with Polish realities represents a great growth opportunity for both individual companies and the industry in general.

The floor was then given to Mariusz Klamra of Video Games Poland who explained how "today it is not so much the budget or technology that makes a game interesting and high-quality, but rather creativity". His speech then touched on the theme of sharing experiences and how this is a key moment for the growth of the industries of the two countries.

Davide Mancini of IIDEA then introduced the 4 Italian development teams present on stage with Daniele Azara, Elisa Di Lorenzo, Marco Di Timoteo, and Mattia Pastorino who told the very different stories of Stormind Games, Untold Games, Studio Evil and Volcanite Games.
Development studios differing in size - ranging from over 90 people at Stormind Games to 4 at Volcanite Games - as well as in the projects they have worked on or are currently working on.

In this regard, Daniele Azara spoke about Stormind Games' experience and how it transitioned from the Remothered and Batora series to working on a Hollywood IP of the caliber of A Quiet Place, and then a franchise more than twenty years old like Mafia.
Azara focused on how initially Hangar 13 was not entirely clear about what early 20th-century Sicily was like, and how Stormind Games' presence was fundamental in the historical and social reconstruction of the places where the latest chapter of the Mafia saga is set.

Elisa Di Lorenzo of Untold Games, on the other hand, spoke about how the team is experiencing the development of City 20; a decidedly ambitious project that aims to combine a strong simulation component with an ecosystem based on narrative events.
A notable point is how the game aims to change the way NPCs are understood, not as background elements but as parts of a living ecosystem; with their own goals and lives to pursue.

Marco Di Timoteo of Studio Evil spoke about Dice Of Arcana and how the team found itself almost creating a new genre by combining board games and narrative adventure.
Dice of ArCana is the result of continuous experimentation, made of added and cut elements and unusual insights.

And speaking of out-of-the-box ideas, Mattia Pastorino of Volcanite Games emphasized how Gambit Shifter is a chess game created by non-chess lovers. A mix of challenge and coziness that has garnered fan favor on Steam.

The challenges of creating a high-profile title

Those present then discussed the mechanics or challenges that, in their opinion, make a game a high-profile experience.

For Mafia Terra Madre, what made the difference was Hangar 13's strong interest in Sicily and its history. This allowed Stormind Games to reconstruct the game's settings based on historical photos, stories from those who have that land in their soul; such as the Sicilian paranza corta which was recreated based on one of the few artisans who still produces liccasapuni (typical Sicilian knives).

For Elisa Di Lorenzo, however, it is the relationship with players that is decisively contributing to the development of City 20.
In this regard, Elisa recounted how a player's bizarre habit of using deceased NPCs as chests prompted the team to develop the mechanic of corpse decomposition.

For Studio Evil, it is essential to find the right balance in the various mechanics and then alter this balance with the aim of creating a challenging experience for players.
While for Volcanite Games, the focus is on the emotions the game manages to convey on the journey from point A to point B.

The relationship between Artificial Intelligence and the Italian video game industry

During the evening, there was inevitably a moment of reflection on artificial intelligence and how it is becoming increasingly present in the video game industry.

On the topic, all those present agreed that when talking about AI, a series of distinctions must be made: there is GenAI that creates content, LLM that deals with texts, or predictive AI that operates during quality control.

Untold Games urged not to make the mistake of throwing everything into the same pot, because while it is true that GenAI is not a tool capable of creating content qualitatively at the level of the human mind, LLM or predictive AI systems can help speed up a whole series of development moments that are essentially mechanical today and only steal time from the creative moment.

Volcanite Games emphasized how AI-native software houses are born with the idea of being game-changers but end up bringing substandard products to the market.
Studio Evil wanted to remind us that today game design aims to find the right amount of mechanics capable of engaging players, creating a continuous learning system that culminates in full mastery of the game. The incorrect use of AI tools would infinitely amplify these mechanics, eliminating one of the key moments of the video game experience.

Stormind Games, on the other hand, focused attention on who controls these AI tools and what the interests of these companies are; consequently, it is fundamental for both developers and players to use artificial intelligence in a conscious and responsible manner.

Italian video games at home and abroad

Events like the one organized between Warsaw and Krakow represent much more than a simple networking opportunity; they are the emblem of a strategic vision that sees video games as a vector of innovation for digital "Made in Italy". The collaboration between public bodies (IIC and ITA) and private entities (development studios and IIDEA) demonstrates how institutional synergy is the key to projecting Italian talent onto international markets.

Investing in these appointments means consolidating an industry that in Italy is no longer a niche, but a sector capable of engaging with global giants. If companies bring technological innovation, institutions provide the diplomatic platform necessary to transform creativity into economic and cultural value.

The dialogue initiated in Poland should be seen as a starting point and an excellent opportunity both for established Italian studios, who can only draw great inspiration from Polish realities, and for growing companies, who can find investors and publishers in the more mature Polish industry.

Events like this in Poland confirm that the path is set: Italian video games have stopped being just a "product" to become a diplomatic excellence capable of showcasing our country's innovation to the world.