The Gaming Hub has officially opened in Lisbon, Portugal as a space for video games startup synergy, investments and business accelerations. It will also serve as a community meeting point and support the growing games industry.

This hub was opened by the tech startup programme Unicorn Factory Lisboa in December, located in what GamesBeat describes as Libson’s new "Innovation District".

A new era

The Gaming Hub is all about scaling, focusing on startups and providing a space for investments, mentorships and more. US-based Fortis Games is central to the hub, acting as a partner studio and opening a new location in Lisbon through the project. The Association of Portuguese Video Game Producers also has a presence at the hub, as does OnTop Studios.

There is space for new talent too, with 50 university students comprising video game studio GameDev Técnico.

"Today we begin another stage in Unicorn Factory Lisboa’s strategy. We already have the project’s headquarters in Beato, which brings together all the industries and areas, and now we’re creating new centres in the city, developing highly specialised innovation centres in industries where we know Lisbon can stand out internationally," said Lisbon mayor Carlos Moedas.

"This is further proof of the dynamism and strength of this project, which is so important for the city’s economy: Unicorn Factory Lisboa companies are creating 10,000 jobs in the city! I hope that many professionals, especially young people, can find these new opportunities here."

And of course, Unicorn Factory Lisboa intends to expand the hub with broader communities from XR to Web3 to AI - the latter of which Fortis Games has expressed the benefits of too.

"The partnership with Fortis Games, Maleo and APVP will contribute to the creation of a strong gaming community and the development of an important ecosystem in Portugal, which, in Europe in 2021, had more than 5,500 companies, representing 85,000 jobs," added Unicorn Factory Lisboa and Startup Lisboa executive director Gil Azevedo.