7 That’s what they said: German devs and industry experts about Germany’s video games industryWe wanted to know what Germany’s game developers and industry experts think of Germany as a business and investment location; what the strengths and benefits are in their opinion, why international gaming investors should make business there, and what they wish for regarding the future of the German games industry. This is a selection of answers they gave us. Linda Kruse Founder & CEO The Good Evil ‘The location of Germany in the heart of Europe and infrastructure are optimal for development. Both for people, that come to work in Germany and to meet with other countries for codevelopment. Together with a strong federal game association and a developer exchange network, we are stronger than ever before. What’s more, the German government recently introduced the new game funding budget. Each year 50 million euros are allocated to the federal budget to support both indie studios and AAA game development.‘ Johannes Roth Founder & Managing Director Mimimi Games ‘With the grant by the German government the starting shot for an internationally competitive German games industry has finally been fired. Our studio can now embrace self-publishing and work on the best possible version of our next game, also thanks to the efforts of the game – the German Games Industry Association.‘ Benedikt Grindel Studio Manager Ubisoft Blue Byte ‘In the German Ubisoft studios in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Mainz, we are constantly looking for talent from all around the globe to work on some of the biggest brands in the gaming industry, including our lead titles Anno 1800 and The Settlers, as well as co-development projects such as Rainbow Six Siege, Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Far Cry 6. And we shape the way for new technologies with innovative VR games and bring our technical expertise to Ubisoft Connect and Snowdrop. With more than 700 developers and more than 30 years of experience, Ubisoft Blue Byte forms the largest game development network in Germany. The German games industry has huge creative potential now and in the future. We have a great mix of game development studios, both large and small, and educational offers to form a solid and future-oriented ecosystem. People who join us enjoy the stability and great social benefits in Germany as well as the warm welcome and friendliness they experience in our communities. The time has never been better to join the German games industry!‘ Julia Pfiffer CEO astragon Entertainment ‘Germany is a country of gamers: whether you play together in front of the TV or on the go on your smartphone – you can play anywhere and anytime. As an established publisher and distributor who has accompanied the ups and downs of the German games industry for the last 21 Years, we at astragon Entertainment very much welcome the current political course to grant official government funding for this fast-growing industry and the concrete plans to consolidate Germany as an attractive location for game studios, publishers and independent developers. We are delighted that both new and existing teams will be given the opportunity to inspire us with innovative and forward-looking projects.‘
