The IT Valley (Bilişim Vadisi) in Türkiye’s northwestern Kocaeli province will compete in the EBN Excellence Awards 2024 as one of the seven finalists chosen among 27 innovation centers in 16 countries.

According to a statement by the IT Valley, the winner will be determined at the EBN Congress, which will take place in France on June 13, through the vote of an international jury.

Erkam Tüzgen, the Director-General of the IT Valley, said that there is an ongoing transformation in the gaming sector and that they aim to support the ventures and companies that contribute to civilian technologies in the country.

"Türkiye’s first and third Turcorns came from the gaming sector and a few other gaming ventures are on the path to become Turcorns," Tüzgen said.

In 2020, Türkiye got its first billion-dollar ventures, altering the rankings of its most valuable companies and devising global competitive strategies in response to changing economic conditions driven by artificial intelligence, cloud technologies and data economics. The Turcorn 100 Program aims to help Türkiye to get new companies that reach billion-dollar valuations.

Noting that it is more important to develop content than to consume it, Tüzgen said it has now become even more important to manage the transformation and determine new trends.

"Families cannot keep their children away from games. With IT Valley Digiage, we are managing this transformation while contributing to the creation of a gaming ecosystem that respects national and fundamental ethical values," he said.

Meanwhile, Digiage Director Emre Yıldız said Digiage has proven its innovative expediting program model and that multidisciplinary unity is necessary in the gaming sector, which includes cohesive work of different professions in unity.