Ever more games in Germany are purchased via download

• Percentage of download purchases rises to 45 per cent
• 9 of 10 PC games are now bought as downloads
• German games industry tops 6-billion-euro mark
 
Berlin, 7 May 2020 – Ever more games in Germany are purchased via download. Around 45 per cent of games for PCs, consoles and handheld devices were bought this way in the past year. This represents an increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2018 (41 per cent). The rise in the number of purchases was accompanied by a positive development in revenue generated from downloads of games for PC, consoles and handhelds. The share of digital games sales from downloads in Germany increased from about 28 per cent in 2018 to 33 per cent in 2019. Game apps available exclusively as downloads are not included in this number. These are the figures released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company GfK. Download portals such as the Epic Games Store, Nintendo eShop Origin, PlayStation Store, Steam, Uplay or the Xbox Games Store are thus positioned as equal sales channels to classic commercial outlets. For PC players, the portals are even the number one contact point: some 9 in 10 PC games today are purchased as downloads. For console games, downloads make up slightly less than one quarter of titles purchased, at 24 per cent.
 
‘For years now, download portals have been gaining in popularity among players compared to traditional commercial outlets,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘The convenient access and wide variety, as well as game extensions and beta versions, make the platforms particularly attractive to many gamers. Especially in these times, one of the great strengths of digital distribution is becoming apparent: even under quarantine, no one has to do without the latest gaming fun.’

German games market grows by 6 per cent

As already reported by game, the German games market grew by 6 per cent in 2019, to around 6.2 billion euros. Sales of games hardware, including consoles, gaming PCs and accessories, dropped by 2 per cent from the previous year, to 2.4 billion euros. In contrast, the market for games software showed a gain of 11 per cent: in 2019, a total of about 3.9 billion euros was spent on computer and video games and the charges for the respective online services.

About the market data

The current data take into account further dedicated games hardware like gaming PCs and the corresponding accessories, resulting in a larger market size than previously reported. This is true also of the adjusted data for 2018, which accordingly differs from that reported last year.
 
The market data is based on statistics compiled by GfK, the GfK Consumer Panel and App Annie. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s digital games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global use. They include an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers who are representative of the German population as a whole regarding their digital game purchasing and usage habits, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

game – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As a joint organiser of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.

Press contact:

Martin Puppe
game – the German Games Industry Association
Friedrichstraße 165
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 2408779-20
Email: martin.puppe@game.de
www.game.de
Twitter: @game_verband
Facebook.com/game.verband
Instagram: game_verband

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