[From the industry] German games market growth stabilizes at 2% – Business News
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This is a press release posted online in addition to our usual editorial content.
The German games market is facing headwinds: after strong increases in sales of games and corresponding hardware in previous years, growth has slowed considerably in the first six months of 2022. While the German games market games grew 22% in the first six months of 2021, growth had slowed to just 2% in the same period a year later. As a result, revenue from purchases of computer and video games and gaming hardware in the first six months of 2022 amounted to around 4.5 billion euros. This was announced today by game – the German gaming industry association at the gamescom press conference.
The biggest gaming event in the world will once again take place in person in Cologne next week. This data is based on surveys by market research companies GfK and data.ai. In fact, growth drivers from previous years such as gaming app sales actually saw a decline in the first six months of 2022. In-app purchases generated €1.3 billion in revenue. revenue, i.e. approximately 7% less than in the first half of 2022. previous year. On the other hand, revenues from in-game purchases for PC and console games have particularly increased. This sub-market grew by 24% compared to the same period of the previous year, rising to 705 million euros. Individual game subscriptions (+19%, to €85m) and online services royalties (+10%, to €416m) also helped offset lower sales revenue in d other areas. In gaming hardware, continued supply chain challenges meant that the gaming PCs and laptops segment was the only one to experience growth. Here, turnover increased by 10%, to 479 million euros, in the first six months of 2022.
“The long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous delays of new titles, delivery bottlenecks and the general deterioration of the economic outlook have also left their mark on the games market. After the particularly strong growth of the last two years, especially compared to the much more difficult situation facing many other industries, the games industry continues to be in a good position,” says Felix Falk, Managing Director de game – the German games industry. Association. “This resilience is also closely linked to the incredible relevance of computer and video games, which has long since extended far beyond the games market itself. There are countless examples of this phenomenon, especially in popular culture, where games have come to wield great influence. More and more people are now recognizing this relevance and appreciating the huge potential that games hold for society, which is much better news for the industry.
More than half of Germans have bought or used gaming-related pop culture products
Gamescom 2022’s theme, “Games: At the Heart of Pop Culture,” highlights the incredible relevance of this medium far beyond the games themselves. Games are not only the most popular entertainment medium of our time – they have also established themselves at the very heart of popular culture, with other media and fields increasingly taking inspiration from games. This is underlined by a new representative survey conducted by the market research institute YouGov on behalf of game, according to which more than 6 in 10 Germans (62%) have watched films or series or bought toys, books or clothing based on gaming brands. . In fact, almost half of Germans (48%) have watched movies based on games, and game-related soundtracks and TV series are frequently consumed.
The next generation of mobile games
Smartphones have established themselves as one of the most successful gaming platforms around the world. The gamescom trend “The next generation of mobile games” pays tribute to the fact that today’s devices are so good that they are suitable for even more complex games. Millions of Germans share this view: around 1 in 2 gamers (48%) say that the technical quality of mobile games is getting closer and closer to that offered by PC and console games. As a result, almost 4 in 10 gamers (38%) here in Germany play games more often on mobile devices. Thanks to this strong increase in the quality of gaming apps, 1 in 3 gamers in Germany (33%) believe that mobile esports on smartphones will play an increasingly important role in the future. This shows that the trend started in Asia is continuing to expand in Europe. For example, this year’s gamescom will also host a mobile esports tournament.
19 million Germans think games can benefit mental health
From playful fitness apps to movement games, people have been keeping fit with games for quite some time now. Today, computer and video games are increasingly used as a means of improving mental health, which is reflected in gamescom’s ‘Health Through Games’ trend. Germans place a high level of trust in games when it comes to health, with 19 million Germans in total believing that computer and video games can benefit mental health. This belief is particularly strong among young people, with almost half of 16-24 year olds (46%) saying games can help improve people’s mental health. Video game players in Germany are particularly convinced of the potential of games to train memory (78%), relax (75%) and improve well-being (60%). A large majority recognizes the positive impact of games on these spheres.
