The Digital Games Forum took place in Farmleigh House on Thursday 20th November 2025. This Digital Games Forum brought Government and the Digital Games Industry together to examine the potential future creative development of the Irish Digital Games Industry.
To bolster growth in the Digital Games Industry, the Irish Government operates a tax relief scheme for game development which provides up to 32% relief on eligible expenditure for qualifying projects. Known as Section 481A, this initiative aims to support the creation of high-quality games while enhancing Ireland's appeal as a destination for both local and international studios.
The event was launched by The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan T.D. in conjunction with Screen Ireland, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, IMIRT and Ardán
Minister O' Donovan said:
"The Games sector is a major global Industry and there is significant untapped potential for the Irish Digital Games Industry to secure a share of this growing market. Recent Budget announcements for Section 481A around claims in respect of post release content work and the extension of the Tax Credit for 6 years will provide certainty and a foundation for increased digital game development in our country.”
Désirée Finnegan, CEO of Screen Ireland, said:
“Screen Ireland is proud to join Minister Patrick O’ Donovan T.D. in hosting this major stakeholder engagement with the Gaming Industry and we look forward to working closely with the Gaming Industry and Agencies into the future.”
The Digital Games forum included local and international contributors and a number of panels to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Irish games studios to invest in creativity and accelerate growth and to explore the factors that digital games companies analyse when deciding where to locate different activities.
There was also a round table group discussions which will provide an opportunity for all participants to contribute to a future strategic plan for the Irish Games industry. This session promoted focused discussion, encourage collaboration between stakeholders, and explored what is needed to meaningfully support the Irish video games sector in the coming years.
Augmented and Virtual Reality is one of the fastest growing areas in the software industry, as well as, information technology which has been a growth area in Ireland for quite some time. Over the last few years, VR has become more widely adopted due to increasing consumer and enterprise demand, growing use cases and a booming ecosystem. Virtual reality is most commonly used in entertainment applications such as video games, 3D cinema and areas including surgery, flight simulators and social virtual worlds.
The following modules will be offered subject to availability or demand and are subject to change:
• Games Analysis Design
• Computer Illustrated Graphics
• Work Experience
• Communications
• Computer 3 D Modelling and Animation
• Computer Aided Design 3D
• Safety and Health
• Word Processing
• Illustration
• Multimedia Authoring
