Coronavirus
Coronavirus Gives Gaming Market in Germany a Massive Boost
Germany’s gaming industry goes from strength to strength despite or because of the Covid-19 crisis. The domestic market grew by 32 percent in 2020, with 58 percent of the gaming age population playing games.
Jun 22, 2021
Domestic market grows by 32 percent in coronavirus year
The coronavirus pandemic left many people looking for safe ways to spend their free time. One of the industries that profited significantly from this trend is the gaming industry. Germany’s gaming market grew by 32 percent – from EUR 6.5 billion in 2019 to EUR 8.5 billion in 2020.
Strong online service and in-game segments
Of the main market segments, revenues for online services, such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, rose the strongest with an increase of 50 percent to nearly EUR 700 million. In-game and in-app revenues increased by 44 percent to more than EUR 3.2 billion. Other market segments, such as the games themselves, game subscriptions and gaming hardware also rose significantly.
Cloud gaming subsegment one to watch
A still young segment that is growing strongly is cloud gaming. Cloud gaming platforms – such as GeForce Now by Nvidia and Google’s Stadia Pro – render the games centrally in their datacenters. This allows users to play high-end games without the requirement of high-end gaming hardware at home. In 2020, revenue in this subsegment grew by 67 percent to EUR 72 million. The two main drivers of this development are the current shortage of computer chips, combined with an increase in internet connection speeds.
Gaming community continues to grow
The number of gamers also grew by five percent during the lockdown. Around 58 percent of Germans between 6 and 69 years of age play games on their consoles, phones or computers. What might be surprising is the fact that the largest group of gamers is the 50 to 59 years of age bracket. They represent 19 percent of the gaming population. Half of the players are female and the average age is 37 years.
gamescom 2021 to be held online
The gaming world will once again gather online for this year’s gamescom event. The German Games Industry Association has decided to hold the world’s biggest gaming event online again, with the exclusively digital and free gamescom 2021 safeguarding planning security for all partners. Germany Trade & Invest will be attending this year’s event in order to provide information about opportunities in Europe’s most exciting gaming market.
