- Sales of games, gaming hardware and online gaming services fall by 6 percent to 4.3 billion euros in the first half of 2024
- Over 16 million Germans have found friends through games
- More than 30 million Germans believe that political institutions should make greater use of the potential of games
- Two thirds of Germans demand internationally comparable competitive conditions for gaming companies in Germany
- Gamescom 2024 will take place from 21 to 25 August in Cologne and online
BERLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The German games market slipped into the red for the first time in a long time in the first half of 2024 after several years of strong growth. From the beginning of January to the end of June, games, games hardware and online gaming services in Germany generated sales of around 4.3 billion euros – a decline of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. This was announced today by game – the association of the German games industry at a press conference ahead of gamescom next week. The sources for the data are the market research company Consumer Panel Services GfK and the sensor tower company data.ai. The sharpest decline in sales of 18 percent was in the games hardware sector. Sales of computer and video games also fell by 4 percent. One reason for this was the significantly lower number of top new game releases in the first six months of 2024 compared to the unusually high number of top-rated blockbuster games released in the first half of the previous year. Online gaming services, on the other hand, made a significant leap: revenues from network, cloud and subscription services rose by 25 percent year-on-year to 516 million euros.
“For the first time in many years, sales of games in Germany and worldwide are declining,” says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – Association of the German Games Industry. “On the one hand, this is due to the outstanding first half of 2023, which saw one of the highest release rates of video game blockbusters ever. In the first half of 2024, on the other hand, there were significantly fewer top releases. In addition, consumers had already caught up on their purchases of current games consoles, so that the sales driven by this are returning to normal. However, the games market will not remain in decline for long. We can already see this with a view to the upcoming gamescom with its record number of exhibitors and the numerous games announced.”
Video gamers become friends
True to the motto of gamescom 2024 “The largest community in the world”, a representative survey by game in collaboration with the opinion research institute YouGov confirms that games are an extremely social medium. Over 16 million Germans say they have made friends with others through video games. This underlines once again that games connect people in a unique way. And this effect is not just limited to young people. While 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-old gamers have made friends through games, around a third (32 percent) of 45- to 54-year-olds have also managed to do so.
Games strengthen democracy
While democracies around the world are coming under pressure, more and more institutions are relying on games to convey democratic values. In Germany, these include the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and at an international level, the European Commission and Reporters Without Borders. It is therefore no surprise that one of this year’s trends at gamescom is “Games protect democracy”. German citizens also see great potential here: more than 30 million believe that political institutions should make even greater use of the social benefits of games. The imparting of knowledge and skills is seen as one of the strengths of games: more than three quarters (78 percent) of Germans say that games can help to convey an understanding of history. A similar number of Germans believe that games can promote social cooperation (77 percent) and social cohesion (72 percent). A majority also see games as helpful in conveying basic democratic values (70 percent) and general political education (66 percent).
Games are a key to economic development
The world’s largest companies are investing heavily in the games industry. This has not gone unnoticed in Germany either. Around two thirds of people in this country (67 percent) believe that Germany should not stand idly by while some of the largest international companies invest heavily in games. Almost seven out of ten Germans (69 percent) even go so far as to demand that Germany end its dependence on other countries when it comes to developing games and the associated technologies. In keeping with one of the highlighted trends at gamescom, “Games – Access to the Future”, this results in a clear expectation of politicians: 67 percent of Germans say that in a global games market it is important that games companies in Germany can operate under internationally comparable and competitive conditions.
About the data
The data used is based on an online survey by YouGov Deutschland GmbH. 2,072 people were interviewed as part of the survey, which was conducted between July 25 and 30, 2024. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 18 and over.
Please note: The definition of gaming PCs and laptops has undergone a major overhaul. The new definition will be applied not only to current figures, but also to previous year’s figures, resulting in retrospective changes to these sales figures.
The market data is based on statistics from Consumer Panel Services GfK and data.ai (a Sensor Tower company). The methods used by CPS GfK to collect data on the German video games market are unique in terms of both their quality and their global application. This includes an ongoing survey of 25,000 consumers on their video game purchasing and usage habits, representative of the German population as a whole, as well as a retail panel. The data collection methods provide a unique insight into the German market for computer and video games.
About gamescom
Gamescom is the world’s largest event for computer and video games and Europe’s largest business platform for the games industry. In 2024, gamescom will take place from Wednesday, August 21st to Sunday, August 25th in Cologne and online. It will open with the big show “gamescom Opening Night Live” on the evening of August 20th. Directly before that, from August 18th to 20th, devcom will take place, Europe’s largest developer conference supported by the developer community. The organizers of gamescom are Koelnmesse and game – the association of the German games industry.
game – Association of the German games industry
We are the association of the German games industry. Our members represent the entire ecosystem of the video game industry – from development studios and publishers to eSports organizers, educational institutions and other players. We are co-organizers of gamescom, the world’s largest event for computer and video games. We are shareholders of the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK), the Digital Games Culture Foundation, the eSports Player Foundation, devcom and the VHG collecting society, as well as co-organizers of the German Computer Game Awards. As a central contact for the media, politics and society, we provide comprehensive expertise on market development, games culture and media competence, among other things, and are available to answer questions and concerns. Together we are making Germany the gaming heart of the world. We enrich the lives of all people with games.
Contacts
Martin Doll
game – Association of the German games industry
Friedrichstrasse 165
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 2408779-20
E-mail: (email protected)
www.game.de
X: @game_verband
Facebook.com/game.verband
Instagram: game_verband
