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German games market grew 15% to reach €3.3bn in 2017

chadskin

chadskin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,013
NEU_Game_Marktdaten_2018-01-01_EN_Deutscher_Markt-1024x724.jpg

The market for computer and video games continued to exhibit significant growth in 2017. Compared to 2016, the overall market grew by 15 per cent, to more than 3.3 billion euros – meaning that the German games market topped the 3-billion-euro mark for the first time ever. This information was announced today by game – the German Games Industry Association based on data from market research institutes GfK and GfK Entertainment.
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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: whilst games software generated 2.2 billion euros in revenue in 2016, that number rose to 2.4 billion euros in 2017 – an increase of nearly 12 per cent.

The greatest volume of revenue was generated through purchases of computer and video games: Germans spent approximately 1.2 billion euros on digital games in 2017, or one per cent more than in 2016. Revenue from microtransactions involving virtual goods and additional content rose strongly: this market segment grew by 28 per cent in 2017, to 844 million euros. Revenue from subscriptions, on the other hand, declined by 4 per cent, to 166 million euros. In 2017, Germans spent significantly more on fees for online networks such as EA Access, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold: this market segment grew by 57 per cent, to 179 million euros. Revenue from hybrid toys decreased to 20 million euros in 2017.
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https://www.game.de/en/blog/2018/04/09/german-games-industry-experiences-major-surge-in-growth/
 
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The King beyond the wall

The King beyond the wall

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
977
Incredible growth undoubtedly driven by the Switch (on the hardware front) and the likes of COD and Fortnight on the micro-transactions side of things.

I take it Germany is now easily the biggest EU market and has extended its lead over the UK in this regard?
 
Metal B

Metal B

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,396
It's really sad, that we German buy so many games, but we don't have any important or big game-development studios our self. Especially in comparison to France and the UK.
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
Can't read atm. Is pc hardware/software included. I'm still under the impression that PCs are pretty strong in mainland Europe.
 
bane833

bane833

Banned
Nov 3, 2017
4,530
Metal B said:
It's really sad, that we German buy so many games, but we don't have any important or big game-development studios our self. Especially in comparison to France and the UK.
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Well Germany was never good in producing video games or other forms of modern entertainment, just think of our trash tier film and tv efforts.
 
Tyaren

Tyaren

Character Artist
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
24,713
bane833 said:
Well Germany was never good in producing video games or other forms of modern entertainment, just think of our trash tier film and tv efforts.
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Yeah, pains me to admit this, but it's the truth. All the bigger projects that I got to work on as a designer/illustrator are either over in France, UK or the US. There's not much going on here in Germany.
 
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crazillo

crazillo

Member
Apr 5, 2018
8,173
Metal B said:
It's really sad, that we German buy so many games, but we don't have any important or big game-development studios our self. Especially in comparison to France and the UK.
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At least the new coalition plans to subsidize game developers in the future, even they have finally noticed how big of a market Germany is missing out on. It might be a case of too little too late though.
 

Deleted member 24550

Ac
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
2,398
The King beyond the wall said:
Thanks for this, I could have sworn Germany overtook the UK around 2 years ago - incredible that the UK market is significantly larger than Germany.
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UKIE is cheating a bit:
As well as home sales of game-related movies and game soundtracks, UK box office revenues have been included in Ukie's analysis for the first time. However, a stronger game representation in cinema in 2016 meant that the 2017 music and movies category was down -29.9% to £17.6m.
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Probably includes AssCreed the movie.

edit: oh it's a tiny fraction, still makes me wonder how UKIE ends up more than 3 billion dollars higher than other estimates.
 
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Soony Xbone Uhh

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,156
So when fees for Live Gold and PSN is its own category i assume subscription are WoW and other MMORPGs?
 

Lucumo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
690
Sloane said:
How so?
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Lack of any support whatsoever (tax breaks, funding etc) and the only acknowledgement it got was censorship as well as bad press. If one thinks that the film industry is in a terrible shape here because no one gives a fuck, the games industry is even worse. But hey, who needs self-produced cultural goods anyway...
 

Deleted member 2752

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,110
We just got probably the most pro-gaming industry politician in Germany (Dorothee Bär) in a key position in this new government. She is now "minister of state for digitalisation".
I remember last year at the German game awards she made a call for the whole industry to be more confident when it comes to working with the government, simply because the industry dwarfs every other media industry yet is completely ignored.
 
Sonicfan059

Sonicfan059

Member
Mar 4, 2018
3,024
Good to see consoles growing big time compared to last gen. PS4 is a beast in Germany, last I paid attention it was over 3M.
 

Deleted member 2752

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,110
Soony Xbone Uhh said:
Why is she a big fan of gaming?
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Here's a translated (through deepl.com) interview with her from before she got this new position:
Dorothee Bär is State Secretary in the Berlin Federal Ministry of Transport, Chairwoman of the Network Policy Working Group CSUnet and founding member of the German Computer Game Award. For several years, the Franconian member of the Bundestag has been the driving force behind the award, is committed to computer and video games in many ways and stands for the DCP like no other politician. In an interview, the chairman of the jury talks about her passion for games, her commitment to the DCP and how Germany can be strengthened as a developer location.



1. you are a founding member of the German Computer Game Award (DCP) and this year for the third time you have been appointed chairman of the jury. How important is the DCP for the German games industry and what does your involvement in the jury mean to you personally?



DB: The DCP is the central funding instrument of the German government for the computer games industry and was established at the express request of the German Bundestag. Our goals include a fundamental improvement in the acceptance of the medium, strengthening Germany as a production location and improving the range of high-quality computer games on offer. We would like the computer game to be regarded as an equivalent cultural asset in Germany, even in comparison with the medium book or film, and with the DCP we want to draw attention to outstanding computer games from Germany, honour their developers and publishers and make recommendations. We have experienced gamers in mind, as well as parents of children and young people who need tips or help because they are less familiar with the subject matter or certain genres. Therefore, in addition to financial support from the prize money, it is also important to us that we address as large parts of society as possible with the gala.



After co-founding the German Computer Game Award, I was allowed to be a member of the jury from the very beginning, and in recent years I have even been chairman of the jury, and I certainly feel like continuing to work in the jury. But you have to be completely honest: With the Bundestag elections, the cards will be reshuffled and, of course, the voters will also decide on the political members of the jury, no matter how passionate they are about games.



2 Few politicians in Germany are as media-savvy as you are. How did your passion for computer games and digital media develop?



DB: That came first through my brother, through whom I got to know many games in my childhood and whom we also liked to play together. So I came to gaming and later, as a politician, had to listen to fierce criticism from many colleagues when it came to "Das Computerspiel" and the supposedly bad effect on children and young people. I have never understood this criticism in such general terms and have fought many battles within my own party. Fortunately, I was able to convince them well and break down one or two prejudices. As far as digital media in general was concerned, I was fascinated from the beginning by the many new communication possibilities and how technology more or less suddenly revolutionized the everyday life of all of us. Here too, some people said that I should take care of the "important" topics. But that spurred me all the more to carry the relevance of these developments into the broad discourse.



Today, the games industry is one of the most influential branches of the creative industries. But the industry's heavyweights come mainly from North America and Asia. What can politicians do beyond the DCP to strengthen German game developers?



DB: Unfortunately, an ever smaller proportion of the turnover generated by computer games in Germany is generated in Germany itself. Canada has shown that attractive financial support can win many jobs in the computer games industry. Germany is currently expanding film funding in order to strengthen the German film industry, create new jobs and better transport its own cultural values. I will work to ensure that the next legislative period also sees the adoption of structural support for games at federal level.

The social and economic acceptance of computer games as an important cultural and economic asset and as a driver of innovation in digitisation must be further increased. We give away a lot of potential when the sense and use of computer games is not clear. To change this is primarily the task of the games industry, but politics can and should support this.

There are other challenges for the computer games industry, in which politicians, together with the business community, are working together.
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https://deutscher-computerspielprei...-drei-fragen-die-juryvorsitzende-dorothee-bär
 
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