{
  "id": 19094642,
  "title": "Turning gaming talent into export earnings",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/turning-gaming-talent-into-export-earnings",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-09T01:34:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn Business",
    "slug": "dawn-business",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2043199/turning-gaming-talent-into-export-earnings"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan's game development industry generates an estimated $400-480 million annually. However, a significant portion of this revenue remains abroad. Due to regulations requiring half of export earnings to be converted into Pakistani rupees, caps on incoming transactions, slow remittance screening, and a 27% tax on ad top-ups for platforms like Google and Unity, many companies operate abroad and manage their finances from overseas. This explains why the industry is larger than the official figures suggest. Industry insiders reveal that virtually every studio has registered a company outside Pakistan, as the high conversion requirement of 50% makes little sense for a business model with a profit margin of only 20-25%. The industry's primary focus is on mobile games, which dominate the market, followed by console and PC games. Despite Pakistan having a large number of skilled developers, the demand for skilled animators is high. The rapid revenue cycle of mobile game development and low investment requirements contribute to the growth of the industry. Major companies like Steam have attracted many Pakistani developers. Industry insiders argue that the actual size of the industry vastly exceeds official estimates, with some estimates reaching $500-600 million and growing. The industry faces challenges due to taxation and financing restrictions, which compel studios to register their companies abroad, thereby limiting their growth potential.",
  "summary": "Pakistan’s game development industry earns an estimated $400-480 million a year. But a large part of that money never makes it home. Faced with rules that require half of export proceeds to be converted into rupees, caps on incoming transactions, slow remittance screening and a 27pc tax on top-ups used to buy ads on platforms such as Google and Unity, many companies have registered abroad and run…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}