Games fuel the market for apps

• 75 per cent of sales revenue generated by app stores in Germany comes from game apps
• Germany is the second-largest game app market in Europe
• The USA is the most important international market for sales of game apps from Germany
• gamescom 2015 takes place from 5 to 9 August in Cologne

Berlin, 3 August 2015 – Game apps are the most important driver of the app market. During the second quarter of this year, three quarters of the sales revenue generated by apps on Google Play and Apple’s App Store in Germany came from games. The share of sales revenue generated by games has remained constant in recent years, despite the strong growth of the app market as a whole – in some app stores, it has even grown. In total, sales revenue generated by game apps has increased by a factor of 2.2 since 2013, as reported today by BIU, the German Games Industry Association, in the run-up to gamescom. This information is based on data from the gamescom special report The mobile gaming landscape in Germany compiled by App Annie, a market research institute specialised in this field, and BIU. According to the report, Germany is the second-largest market for game apps in Europe by revenue, directly behind this year’s gamescom partner country, Great Britain. Globally, Germany is ranked seventh in sales revenue for game apps.[quotation cite=”Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU”]”Game apps generate the largest share of sales revenue in app stores by a wide margin and have exhibited impressive growth in recent years. They also drive development of new smartphone and tablet technologies as a result of their constantly increasing requirements.[/quotation]‘Game apps are fuelling the mobile boom. They generate the largest share of sales revenue in app stores by a wide margin and have exhibited impressive growth in recent years. They also drive development of new smartphone and tablet technologies as a result of their constantly increasing requirements,’ says Dr Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of BIU.

Game apps from Germany in high demand worldwide

Developers from Germany are now a fixture of the booming global market for game apps. Among the most successful German game companies are Goodgame Studios, Bertelsmann, Wooga, InnoGames, flaregames, XYRALITY and ProSiebenSat.1 Games. In addition to the domestic market, many German companies have been particularly successful in the USA and France. The American market plays an especially important role: more than one quarter of the sales revenue generated by German game app companies comes from the United States. Schenk comments: ‘The global market for game apps is growing rapidly, which has opened up incredible opportunities for new or small companies in the games industry. Many companies from Germany have also managed to make a name for themselves on the international stage. Compared to other locations like Scandinavia or the USA, which offer much better conditions for the computer and video games industry, Germany has only been able to partially tap its potential up to this point.’
 
The entire gamescom special report The mobile gaming landscape in Germany compiled by App Annie and BIU can be downloaded from: http://go.appannie.com/AA_game_mobile_gaming_market_outlook_Germany_WW

About the BIU

BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (German Games Industry Association) is the association of the German computer and video games industry. Its 26 members are developers, publishers and providers of digital games, and they represent over 85 per cent of the German market. The BIU is, for example, the sponsor 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 – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware e. V.
Charlottenstrasse 62
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30 2408779 20
Fax: +49 (0)30 2408779 11
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
Twitter: @game_eV
Facebook.com/BIUeV

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