Market share of German-developed games falls below 6 per cent

• Titles from Germany account for 5.4 per cent of sales on the German games market
• German games market grew to 3.3 billion euros in 2017
• German games industry has published its annual report for 2018: jahresreport.game.de
 
Berlin, 14 August 2018 – While the games market registered record sales once again in 2017, German-developed games saw a further decline in market share. After achieving 6.4 per cent of sales in 2016, the share of titles from Germany declined to just 5.4 per cent in 2017. This corresponds to about 119 million euros in a market of more than 2.2 billion euros (overall market without hardware, charges for online networks or hybrid toys). These figures were published today by game – the German Games Industry Association on the occasion of the release of the annual report of the German games industry. In the area of game apps for smartphones and tablets, the market share achieved by German game developers fell from 4.2 to 3.7 per cent. Online and browser games likewise showed a downward course: after capturing 24 per cent of sales in this market segment in 2016, the share of German-developed games fell to 17 per cent in 2017. Only in the especially large market for PC and console games did the market share of German game developers rise: from 0.5 to nearly 1 per cent. Among other things, the increase can be attributed to the publication of ‘Elex’, a game by the Essen developer Piranha Bytes, and ‘The Surge’ by Deck13 of Frankfurt am Main.

‘The continued decline in the market share of German-developed games points to the urgent need to act,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘For this reason, the federal government’s planned games fund to support German developers should be implemented now. Our proposal for this is on the table. Positive examples such as “Elex” and “The Surge” show that games made in Germany can be a real success story. The cultural and economic potential is huge. To realise it, however, the immense competitive disadvantages vis-à-vis other countries must finally be eliminated.’
 
The annual report of the German games industry can be downloaded for free at the following link: jahresreport.game.de

German games industry tops the 3-billion-euro mark for the first time

The market for computer and video games as well as games hardware made a clear jump in Germany in 2017: in comparison to 2016, the overall market grew by 15 per cent, to over 3.3 billion euros. With this, the German games market broke the 3-billion-euro barrier for the first time. The market for games consoles and peripherals grew particularly strongly in 2017, expanding by 26 per cent, to 938 million euros. Revenue from games for PCs, consoles, handhelds, smartphones and tablets also rose significantly in 2017: while games software generated 2.2 billion euros in revenue in 2016, that number climbed to nearly 2.4 billion euros in 2017 – an increase of 12 per cent.

About the market data

The data used are based on surveys by the GfK Consumer Panel, GfK Entertainment, GfK POS Measurement and App Annie, as well as our own surveys and projections.

game – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members include developers, publishers and many other games industry actors such as esports event organisers, educational establishments and service providers. As the sponsor of gamescom, we are responsible for the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, and answer questions relating to market development, games culture and media literacy. Our mission is to make Germany the best games location.

Press contact:

Martin Puppe
game – the German Games Industry Association
Charlottenstraße 62
10117 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 2408779-20
Email: martin.puppe@game.de
www.game.de
Twitter: @game_verband
Facebook.com/game.verband

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