Sandsoft CEO on how a cohesive national strategy could level up Spain's games industry

Pocket Gamer Connects heads to Barcelona next month on June 3rd to 4th.

In the build up to the event, we've been reaching out to speakers and local companies to get their views on the Barcelona games hub and wider Spanish sector.

We caught up with Sandsoft CEO David Fernandez about setting up the company's Barcelona studio and what it will take to make the city a leading games hub.

PocketGamer.biz: How would you assess Spain and Barcelona's games scene at the moment?

David Fernandez: I am continually impressed by Barcelona's evolution into a premier global hub for the games industry. The city's dynamic ecosystem, characterised by a blend of established studios, innovative startups, and a rich talent pool, positions it at the forefront of gaming innovation and development.

Barcelona's appeal to international gaming companies is evident. Major players like King, with its second-largest global office housing over 600 professionals, and Scopely, operating a similar size tech hub, have solidified their presence here.

The city's reputation as a technology and creative hub has also attracted other companies such as Bandai Namco, FunPlus, Rovio or Voodoo which have expanded their international presence in Barcelona.

The startup scene is equally vibrant. The recent launch of Bespoke Pixel by industry veteran David Polfeldt, backed by $25 million in funding, underscores the city's capacity to foster new ventures. Moreover, the acquisition of local studios like Digital Legends by Activision Blizzard, Omnidrone by Scopely and Socialpoint by Take-Two Interactive highlights Barcelona's strategic importance in the global gaming landscape.

Talent development is a cornerstone of Barcelona's games industry. With over 4,000 professionals employed in the sector and a 20% increase in gaming talent attraction, the city rivals traditional tech hubs like San Francisco. Educational institutions such as the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Universitat de Barcelona - ENTI or University Ramon Llull - La Salle offer specialised programs in game design and development, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled professionals.

The city's commitment to nurturing talent is further exemplified by initiatives like the Talent Arena, launched by Mobile World Capital Barcelona. This platform aims to bring together developers, tech companies, and educational institutions to promote learning and professional growth in the digital field.

In conclusion, Barcelona's gaming scene is thriving, driven by a combination of international investment, a robust talent pool, and a supportive ecosystem for both established companies and startups. At Sandsoft, we are excited to be part of this dynamic environment and look forward to contributing to its continued success.

What opportunities do you see in Spain and Barcelona's games industry? 

A thriving mobile gaming market: Spain is home to one of Europe’s most engaged mobile gaming audiences, driving the growth of innovative game experiences and monetisation models.

Barcelona stands out as a hub for mobile game development, with deep talent pools and a strong design culture. Local studios are built for speed, able to prototype rapidly, launch globally, and scale effectively, making the city a leader in the evolving mobile gaming landscape.

There’s a unique creative energy in Barcelona that blends local culture with international influence. This makes it a fantastic launchpad for original IP, especially story-driven and stylistically distinctive games. We’re seeing more investment in narrative design, art direction, and cross-media potential, creating room for studios here to lead globally in game creativity.

Barcelona continues to attract international professionals at an impressive rate. The city now hosts over 122,000 digital professionals, with 13,500 new specialists added in 2023 alone, which is a 12.4% increase over the previous year. Notably, 5,111 of these new professionals came from outside Catalonia, highlighting the city's global appeal. 

This influx of diverse experience is a huge asset for teams aiming to build globally competitive games. For Sandsoft, access to this multicultural, multilingual workforce enables us to think cross-market from day one.

Barcelona’s games industry is maturing rapidly. The presence of major publishers, coupled with startup success stories and acquisitions, is fueling investor confidence. 

There’s a growing appetite for co-development, partnerships, and venture activity, which opens up new ways for studios to scale collaboratively.

In short, Spain, and Barcelona in particular, is not just a great place to build games - it’s becoming a place to define the future of how games are made, monetised, and experienced.

And what challenges do you see?

While the momentum in Spain’s games industry is exciting, there are also meaningful challenges that need to be navigated thoughtfully to sustain long-term growth.

Ironically, one of the side effects of Barcelona’s success is that the competition for senior, specialised talent, particularly in areas like game economy design, data and analytics, live ops, and multiplayer engineering, is fierce.

With so many international studios setting up operations here, talent retention and compensation expectations are rising quickly. As an industry, we need to think more about long-term investment in local training pipelines and upskilling, not just recruitment.

Funding gaps for early-stage studios: although there’s significant foreign investment and M&A activity, early-stage funding for indie and mid-sized studios still presents a challenge. Many promising teams have creative vision but struggle with access to seed capital or support for transitioning from prototype to publish-ready. Bridging this gap - through public-private partnerships, publishing accelerators, or venture networks - could unlock a new wave of innovation.

Another challenge is regional support. Spain has multiple autonomous regions with different approaches to tax incentives, grants, and cultural support for games. While this diversity can be a strength, it also creates complexity for companies operating across regions or for international firms trying to understand the ecosystem. Greater cohesion or national-level alignment could make Spain more competitive globally.

Despite the incredible talent and output, Spanish studios still face challenges in gaining international recognition and visibility, particularly compared to peers in countries like Sweden, Canada or South Korea. Building stronger connections to global events, streamers and platforms could help amplify the reach of Spanish-made IPs.

At Sandsoft, we believe that these challenges are also opportunities: to collaborate, mentor, and help shape the ecosystem in a sustainable way. Barcelona has all the right ingredients to thrive - it’s now about stitching them together in a way that supports creative and commercial success at every stage of the journey.

Why do you think that Barcelona is such a big games hub in Spain? 

Barcelona’s position as Spain’s leading games hub isn’t just the result of one factor. It’s the outcome of a unique combination of cultural energy, global connectivity, and long-term ecosystem building.

The city has always had a deeply rooted creative identity. From architecture to digital arts, Barcelona has historically attracted innovators and visionaries. That same spirit has made its way into game development, where the blend of artistic expression and cutting-edge technology has found fertile ground.

Combine that with strong technical foundations - thanks to top-tier universities and a robust startup ecosystem - and you get a city that’s perfectly equipped to support the full lifecycle of game creation.

But what truly sets Barcelona apart is its international character and quality of life. It draws in global talent not just with professional opportunities, but with the lifestyle, culture, and openness that make people want to stay.

This global mindset has made it an obvious choice for major game companies like King, Scopely, Ubisoft, FunPlus, Rovio, Voodoo and Bandai Namco, who have all established significant operations here. Their presence has helped catalyse a clustering effect, creating a tight-knit ecosystem where large studios, indies, service providers, and publishers can collaborate and thrive side by side.

The city and regional governments have consistently backed digital innovation through education initiatives, talent accelerators like the Talent Arena, and regular hosting of international gaming and tech events. These efforts have ensured a steady pipeline of new professionals entering the industry, while also raising Barcelona’s profile on the global stage.

There’s also something about the culture of Barcelona itself that fits the games industry. It’s experimental, expressive, collaborative, and constantly evolving - qualities that mirror what makes the best games thrive. This cultural alignment helps foster an environment where game developers feel encouraged to take creative risks, tell new stories, and build experiences with global appeal.

As a summary, Barcelona hasn’t just grown into Spain’s gaming hub - it’s become one of Europe’s most exciting centers for interactive entertainment. For Sandsoft, it represents a unique intersection of creativity, talent, and opportunity, and a city where we’re proud to help shape the future of games.

What is your outlook for the sector? If we speak again in five years, where do you hope Spain and Barcelona's games market to be? 

Looking ahead, I’m incredibly optimistic about where Spain, and especially Barcelona, can go in the next five years. The foundation has already been laid: a rich creative scene, strong mobile know-how, a growing pool of global talent, and a maturing ecosystem of start-ups, investors, and institutions. Now, it’s about scale, innovation, and global impact.

If we speak again in five years, I would hope to see Spain recognised as a top-tier European leader in game development, not only for producing hit titles, but for pushing the boundaries of the medium, whether through emerging tech like generative AI, immersive narrative design, or new monetisation models that prioritise player experience.

I believe Barcelona is uniquely positioned to become the go-to hub for mobile-first innovation: a place where studios can experiment, launch, and scale globally. I’d love to see the city become a launchpad for original IP that travels across platforms and cultures, putting Spanish creativity on the global gaming map in a bigger way.

We also have the potential to see a stronger pipeline of mid-sized studios. This would require deeper access to capital, mentorship, and publishing support, but the talent is already here.

Another exciting shift I hope to see is greater integration between education and industry. If universities, training programs, and studios continue to work closely, we can build a generation of developers who are not only technically skilled, but also culturally and commercially attuned to what the future of games looks like.

And finally, I’d love for Spain to develop a more cohesive national strategy for supporting games as a creative and economic force. The pieces are there; aligning them could take the sector from strong to truly world-class.

What more do you want for the Spanish and Barcelona games scene?

There’s so much to be excited about in Spain’s games industry, but if we want to truly unlock its full potential, a few key pieces still need to come together.

First and foremost, stronger institutional support would make a big difference. We’ve seen positive steps, especially in Catalonia, but what’s needed now is a coordinated, long-term national strategy that recognises games as a cultural and economic powerhouse. That means more consistent public funding mechanisms, tax incentives, and streamlined policies that reduce friction for both local studios and international investors.

Speaking of investment, we need more backing for home-grown companies: not just at the startup phase, but at the crucial stage where studios move from a promising prototype to a globally launched title.

There’s a lot of creative firepower in Spain, but without access to meaningful publishing support or Series A funding, too many projects fall short of their potential. More local investment vehicles, paired with mentorship and global publishing bridges, could help catalyse the next wave of sustainable, IP-driven studios.

At the same time, I’d love to see more international collaboration and co-development opportunities. Barcelona is already on the radar of major global publishers, but there’s still room to position Spain as a preferred partner market, especially for mobile-first, live-operated games and emerging formats like cross-platform social play.

Talent development is another big area. We’ve seen impressive growth in digital professionals entering the market, but we need to accelerate the connection between academia and industry. That means game-specific training, more internships, and continued efforts to bring underrepresented voices into the fold. A stronger, more diverse pipeline will benefit everyone: from indies to triple-A.

Lastly, I’d love to see more recognition of games as cultural exports. Just like film or literature, games tell stories, carry identity, and shape how countries are seen. Spain has the creative DNA to build worlds that resonate globally - and we should be backing that ambition with pride.

At Sandsoft, we’re here for the long-term and we’re committed to working with partners across the public and private sectors to help take this ecosystem from promising to world-leading.