Gamers are spending more on fee-based online networks

• Sales through fee-based online networks leap 48 per cent in one year
• Paid memberships are used most by 20- to 29-year-old gamers
• Sales of computer and video games pass the two-billion-euro mark for the first time
 
Berlin, 5 July 2017 – Paid memberships for online networks like EA Access, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold are enjoying increasing popularity among players in Germany. In one year, sales of access to games through network memberships increased by 48 per cent – from 77 million euros in 2015 to 114 million euros in 2016. The BIU, the German Games Industry Association, published these figures today based on data compiled by market research institute GfK. Fee-based offerings are especially popular with players 20–29 years old, who make up around one third (34 per cent) of users of such offerings. Paid memberships are also used frequently by gamers aged 10–19 (23 per cent) and 30–39 (21 per cent). A smaller share is comprised of gamers in the age groups 40–49 (13 per cent) and 50 and older (9 per cent). [quotation cite=”BIU Managing Director”] ‘Membership in online networks is becoming attractive to ever more players. For just a few euros per month, they get access to extensive possibilities to play with and against friends or other players around the world, as well as to numerous existing and newly introduced games’[/quotation]  
‘Membership in online networks is becoming attractive to ever more players. For just a few euros per month, they get access to extensive possibilities to play with and against friends or other players around the world, as well as to numerous existing and newly introduced games,’ says BIU Managing Director Felix Falk, explaining the growing popularity of fee-based offerings.
 
Paid membership in online networks gives users a range of advantages. Especially on games consoles, they offer various modes for online teamwork and competition. Most services additionally provide access to a changing array of computer and video games that can be installed on games consoles or PCs. Frequently, the scope of services also includes rebates for additional games and game expansions on the associated download portals, early access to new titles and savegame cloud storage. Memberships cost between 4 and 10 euros per month.

Total market for computer and video games shows solid growth

The market for digital games reported further strong growth in 2016: games for PCs, consoles, handheld devices, smartphones and tablets, and fees for online networks like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold generated sales of 2.13 billion euros last year. This represents an increase of 7 per cent over 2015, when sales were 1.99 billion euros. In 2016, the sales volume for computer and video games in Germany surpassed two billion euros for the first time. In contrast, the market for games consoles and peripherals such as gamepads registered a decline of around 15 per cent, to 747 million euros. The total market – consisting of computer and video games, fees for online networks, hybrid toys, games consoles and peripherals – held steady in 2016, with German sales in the sector matching the 2015 volume of 2.9 billion euros.
 
Further information on the German games market can be found at: https://www.game.de/blog/2017/04/04/starke-nachfrage-nach-computer-und-videospielen-umsatz-waechst-um-7-prozent/

About the market data

The data used is based on surveys conducted by GfK Consumer Panel, GfK Entertainment and GfK POS Measurement. 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 consumer panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games. Please note: discrepancies between this year’s sales revenue figures for the hardware market in 2015 and the figures provided last year are the result of adjustments made to the range of products covered. It now includes gaming peripherals such as gamepads.

About the BIU

The BIU, the German Games Industry Association, is the association of the German computer and video games industry. Its 28 members are developers, publishers and suppliers of digital games. Together, they represent over 85 per cent of the German market. The BIU is, for example, the organiser of gamescom. As an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, the BIU answers all questions on the topic of digital games.

Press contact:

Martin Puppe
BIU, the German Games Industry Association
Charlottenstraße 62
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 2408779-20
Fax: +49 (0)30 2408 77911
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
game.de
Twitter: @game_eV
Facebook.com/BIUeV

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