In tenth year of the iPhone, game app market grows by 26 per cent

• Sales revenue of 262 million euros generated with game apps in first half of 2017
• ‘Game apps have taken the world by storm and have had a significant influence on the technical development of mobile devices’
• Computer and video game revenue increases by 11 per cent in first half of 2017
 
Berlin, 12 September 2017 – Ten years after the launch of Apple’s first iPhone, which marked the beginning of the success story of game apps, the market for smartphone and tablet games continues to grow: sales revenue generated with game apps increased by 26 per cent to 262 million euros in Germany in the first half of 2017. In the first six months of 2016, game apps generated 208 million euros. The BIU, the German Games Industry Association, published these figures today based on data compiled by market research institute GfK. Growth is being driven in particular by in-app purchases: in the first six months of 2017, sales revenue generated with virtual goods and additional content bought directly within an app amounted to 254 million euros, equating to growth of approximately 28 per cent in this segment. Just 3 per cent of sales revenue – 8 million euros – is generated by the purchase of game apps.
 
‘The arrival of the smartphone also marked the beginning of an amazing success story for the games industry: game apps – originally for smartphones and subsequently also for tablets – have taken the world by storm and have had a significant influence on the technical development of mobile devices. The result is impressive: in some cases, more than three quarters of app store sales revenue relate to games,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of the BIU. ‘In the space of ten years, being able to play games in impressive quality whenever and wherever you want has become the norm. There is no sign of this development coming to an end, as demonstrated by the continuously growing market for game apps. Growing numbers of people are playing on smartphones and tablets.’

German games market grows by 11 per cent in first half of 2017

Germany’s computer and video games market is booming: in the first half of 2017, sales revenue generated with games for PCs, games consoles, handhelds, smartphones and tablets increased by 11 per cent to approximately 1.08 billion euros. At 509 million euros, around half (47 per cent) of sales revenue was generated with the sale of digital games on physical data carriers or via download. The market segment relating to virtual goods and additional content likewise continued to experience strong growth at the beginning of 2017, increasing by 26 per cent to 400 million euros. Sales revenue generated with game subscriptions increased by just under 10 per cent to 90 million euros. Greater revenue was also achieved with fees for online networks such as EA Access, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold in the first six months of 2017: revenue in this segment increased from 51 to 78 million euros year-on-year.

About the market data

The market data is based on statistics compiled by the GfK Consumer Panel. The methods used by GfK to collect data on Germany’s digital games market are unique in terms of both 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, as well as a consumer panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.

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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