British Studio Casual Brothers Expands into Canary Islands to Boost Gaming Hub
British video game developer Casual Brothers has expanded into the Canary Islands, joining the region's rapidly growing digital sector to leverage favorable tax incentives and a burgeoning pool of technical talent.
The Spanish video game industry has a new major player: the British firm Casual Brothers has officially expanded into the Canary Islands. Based in Horsham and established in 2010, the company has joined the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC) as part of a broader European growth strategy. They chose the region to take advantage of its favorable tax incentives and its rapidly growing technology sector.
Casual Brothers is well-known internationally for its work on major franchises, including The Grinch, Barbie, My Little Pony, and Ice Age. The studio specializes in Unity and Unreal Engine, handling everything from porting and design to updating classic point-and-click games for consoles and mobile devices.
This move reflects a wider trend in the Canary Islands, which has seen a surge in its digital sector. The region is now home to nearly 40 video game studios—a significant jump from almost zero in 2019. This growth is supported by the "Canary Islands Games" initiative, led by ZEC and Proexca, which aims to mirror the success of the local audiovisual industry, where major companies like Netflix, Disney, and Warner already operate.
Economic officials view the arrival of Casual Brothers as a boost to the Canary Islands' status as Spain’s fourth-largest hub for video game development. By combining game development with a mature animation and visual effects industry that already employs over 2,000 professionals, the region is positioning itself as a competitive global player. For Casual Brothers, the move is an opportunity to streamline its operations while tapping into a growing pool of talent and technical resources.