Global market for game apps will grow to 74.6 billion US dollars by 2020

• Game apps generated 34.8 billion US dollars in sales around the world in 2015
• Game apps dominated app stores: 85 per cent of global app sales revenue was generated by game apps
• Mobile World Congress in Barcelona starts today

Berlin, 22 February 2016 – The market for game apps will continue to exhibit strong growth around the world in the coming years. By 2020, global sales revenue generated by games for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is expected to rise to 74.6 billion US dollars – an increase of more than 114 per cent compared to 2015. During the past year, global sales revenue generated by game apps totalled 34.8 billion US dollars, and this year alone, the global market is projected to grow to 41.5 billion US dollars – an increase of more than 19 per cent compared to 2015. This was reported by BIU, the German Games Industry Association, based on a market forecast by analysts at App Annie. In recent years, the market for game apps primarily showed strong growth in developed markets, but by 2020, regions of the world where smartphones are not yet ubiquitous will be the main drivers of global growth. [quotation cite=”Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing director of BIU”] “Game apps are the key catalyst in the mobile ecosystem consisting of smartphones, tablets and app stores.[/quotation]‘Game apps are the key catalyst in the mobile ecosystem consisting of smartphones, tablets and app stores. 75 per cent of all app sales revenue generated in Germany comes from games; worldwide, that total is 85 per cent,’ explains BIU Managing Director Dr Maximilian Schenk in the run-up to the Mobile World Congress, which starts today in Barcelona. ‘As smartphones become more prevalent, downloads of game apps skyrocket in all markets. Game apps are an extremely important factor in making mobile phones more attractive to buyers, and they pave the way for other categories of apps.’

Game apps comprise 85 per cent of sales revenue in app stores

The economic significance of game apps is evident from their share of global app sales revenue. Whilst four out of ten downloads from app stores in 2015 were games, their share of total revenue was 85 per cent. Even by 2020, game apps will still account for approximately 74 per cent of global app sales revenue, despite the fact that other app categories will grow more strongly. Schenk comments: ‘The market for apps is the best example of the impressive economic momentum of the computer and video games industry. No other area of the media industry has made better use of the market created with the launch of the first Apple iPhone in 2007 by producing customised game designs and business models.’

Note on market data:

The data comes from the App Annie mobile app market forecast, which is available at the following link: https://www.appannie.com/de/landing/forecast

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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