Games from Germany: market share remains stubbornly low

• Sales share of German-developed games falls to 6.4 per cent
• BIU publishes the 2017 Annual Report of the Computer and Video Games Industry
 
Berlin, 21 September 2017 – German game developers were not able to profit from the growing games market in 2016: just 6.4 per cent of sales of computer and video games in this country were captured by German-developed games. Compared with the preceding years, the already low share saw a further decline: in 2015, the sales share of German-developed games was 6.5 per cent; in 2014, the figure was 7 per cent. This was announced by the BIU, the German Games Industry Association, which today published the 2017 Annual Report of the Computer and Video Games Industry. The sales share of German-developed games for smartphones and tablets showed a one-year drop from 7 to 4.2 per cent. For PC and console games, by far the largest subsegment, the already very low market share of 0.6 per cent fell yet further, to just 0.5 per cent in 2016. Only in the area of browser and online games were German game developers able to solidify their position: their sales share rose slightly, from 23 to 24 per cent.

‘When of every hundred euros spent on games, less than seven euros goes to German game developers, this shows once again that the framework conditions for the development of computer and video games in Germany aren’t competitive,’ says Felix Falk, BIU Managing Director. ‘If we want to finally catch up internationally as a location for game development, the parliamentary elections must be followed quickly by development funding at the federal level, as has long existed in countries like Britain, France and Canada.’
 
For the first time, all relevant market figures have been compiled in the 2017 Annual Report of the Computer and Video Games Industry. The report of more than 40 pages includes an overview of the market development, and of Germany as a location for game and e-sports development.

The full Annual Report of the Computer and Video Games Industry for 2017 can be downloaded at this link: https://www.game.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/game_Jahresreport_2017_interaktiv.pdf

BIU – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members are developers and providers of digital games and represent over 85 per cent of the German market. We are the sponsor of gamescom, the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. As an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, we answer questions on topics such as market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the leading location for game development.

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 2408779-11
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
game.de
Twitter: @game_eV
Facebook.com/BIUeV

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