There has been a call for specific supports to help drive the digital creative sector in the west.
A new report shows there are already over 1,000 companies involved in the production of games, animation, design and immersive technologies in the region.
It suggests there is potential to further grow the sector and strengthen its position internationally but that a targeted and focused approach is needed to bring this about.
The report was launched as part of the inaugural Creative Economy Summit, which took place in Galway.
Entitled 'From Momentum to Scale' it looks at the growth of companies involved in the area over the last decade, as well as examining how best to enhance their standing in the next ten years.
The report was commissioned by Creative Enterprise West (CREW), in partnership with the UrbanLab at the University of Galway.
Lead author, Dr Patrick Collins, said the sector had moved "from relative invisibility to real economic significance over the past decade".
He said the region had developed a network of talent, infrastructure and ambition that now needed the right supports to grow and develop further.
Dr Collins said that ensuring the visibility, and acknowledging the efforts of those involved in digital creative activity was central to this.
"Existing national datasets do not fully capture freelancers, micro-enterprises or hybrid creative-technology businesses. That matters, because if a sector is hard to see, it is harder to support, fund and scale," he said.
The report identifies a broad range of creators, across several disciplines, in Counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Clare.
Access to finance has been described as the "primary constraint" on growth.
The report says that there is a need for "sector-literate" capital, as opposed to generic financial packages that might be offered to small and medium enterprises in other sectors.
It suggests new approaches to finance, market development and enterprise support for these businesses, to help them expand and extend their reach internationally.
CREW is a dedicated creative enterprise hub developed as part of a partnership between the Atlantic Technological university and the Western Development Commission.
Its CEO, Niamh Costello, said strong foundations had been laid over the last decade and that today's event aimed to focus minds on how best to drive that forward.
