Malta’s €60m investment pipeline will span iGaming, esports and digital sectors
Summary
Malta has announced an eight-project investment pipeline totalling €60m, aimed at creating around 1,300 jobs by the end of 2026. The package was unveiled after a meeting at Trident Park convened by the Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, Silvio Schembri, with chief executives from major gaming, esports and digital firms. The investments cover esports, video-game development, digital marketing and iGaming, with several international and local companies committing capital and headcount growth.
Key Points
- Eight projects announced, totalling €60m and expected to support c.1,300 jobs by end-2026.
- Esports: Imperial (Brazil) will base its main European office in Malta; BLAST TV is registering in Malta with a €10m, three-year investment and event plans.
- Game development & training: Unity will continue to invest in education and training programmes to prepare Maltese talent for careers in game development.
- Digital marketing & media: Clever is opening new offices in Gżira with a €6m investment and has committed €1.5m to video-game company NARC; Gentoo Media has invested €1.2m to expand staff from 70 to 130.
- iGaming: Soft2Bet has pledged €20m over four years and new offices in Mrieħel; Religa plans to grow from 200 to 700 employees backed by €21m; Eeze announced a €30m commitment to scale to 1,200 employees by Q1 next year.
- Minister Silvio Schembri framed the moves as evidence of Malta’s shift towards technology-driven economic segments and urged firms to support local sports similarly to foreign teams.
Content summary
The government meeting at Trident Park brought together industry leaders to finalise a pipeline of eight projects across esports, iGaming, video games and digital marketing. Key players include Imperial, BLAST TV, Unity, Clever, Gentoo Media, Soft2Bet, Religa and Eeze, each announcing capital investment, office openings and sizeable hiring plans. The combined commitments are designed to boost Malta’s tech ecosystem, build local skills through training programmes and attract events and operations to the jurisdiction.
Timelines vary by company: BLAST TV’s three-year €10m plan, Soft2Bet’s four-year €20m programme, and Eeze’s rapid scaling to 1,200 staff by early next year are among the headline items. The initiatives span both international firms relocating or establishing EU operations and local companies expanding facilities and workforce.
Context and relevance
This announcement matters for investors, recruiters, talent-development bodies and policy watchers. Malta has long positioned itself as a gaming and iGaming hub; these investments reinforce that cluster and signal a deeper push into esports and game development. The focus on training and education (notably Unity’s commitments) highlights an intent to grow local talent rather than rely solely on imported labour, which could have knock-on effects for wages, office space demand and ancillary services.
For companies operating in Europe’s games, esports or iGaming markets, the pipeline suggests increased competition for specialist staff but also new partnership and event opportunities within Malta. For local stakeholders, it underlines the need to scale training provision, infrastructure and regulatory clarity to match growth ambitions.
Why should I read this
Quick and blunt: Malta’s putting serious money behind gaming, esports and digital firms — big names, big hiring and real timelines. If you hire, invest, run events or train talent in this space, this changes the playing field locally. Worth a skim if you care about talent pipelines, relocation moves or new EU bases for gaming firms.
