Hybrid toys: strong demand drives significant market growth

• Nascent market for hybrid toys grew by 53 per cent in 2015
• German market for computer and video games grew to 2.81 billion euros

Berlin, 28 April 2016 – Collectibles that add virtual content to games are extremely popular. Sales revenue generated by these hybrid toys – also known as ‘toys-to-life’ figures – rose significantly last year. The nascent market for hybrid toys in Germany grew by 53 per cent to 72 million euros – as compared to 47 million euros in 2014 – as the BIU, the German Games Industry Association, reported today based on data compiled by market research institute GfK Entertainment. Hybrid toys are collectible figures that are broadcast into the game via technologies such as near field communication (NFC) to create add-on content. Activision, Nintendo and Disney offer hybrid toy products, as does
 
[quotation cite=”Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU”] “Hybrid toys are proof of the capacity for innovation that is inherent to the games industry. They combine traditional toys and a passion for collecting with add-on content for computer and video games.[/quotation]‘Hybrid toys are proof of the capacity for innovation that is inherent to the games industry. They combine traditional toys and a passion for collecting with add-on content for computer and video games,’ says BIU Managing Director Dr Maximilian Schenk, explaining the success of the products. ‘At the same time, hybrid toys underscore the leading role that the computer and video games industry plays in the growing convergence among various types of media. Two things that were once contradictory – digital entertainment and physical figures – are now a single, extremely successful product.’

German market for computer and video games grows to 2.81 billion euros

In 2015, the market for computer and video games grew by a total of 4.5 per cent to 2.81 billion euros. 825 million euros of that total (+6.5 per cent compared to 2014) came from the games console segment; 1.99 billion euros in sales revenue was generated by games for PCs, consoles and mobile devices – an increase of 3.5 per cent compared to 2014. Sales of games for PCs, consoles and mobile devices made up the lion’s share of the total – this segment generated 1.21 billion euros. Sales revenue generated by virtual goods and add-on content rose particularly sharply last year; compared to 2014, this segment grew by 18 per cent to 562 million euros. Revenue from game subscriptions also increased by 5 per cent to 145 million euros.

Note on market data:

The data on the hybrid toys market is based on statistics compiled by GfK Entertainment. GfK Entertainment calculates the sales figures using data from over 2,000 sales outlets – more than 70 per cent of the entire German market. The figures on the development of the overall market are based on information compiled by the GfK Consumer Panel. The methods used by GfK to collect data about Germany’s digital games market are unique in terms both of 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, and also a consumer panel. Its data collection methods give a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

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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