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The use of the smartphone and tablet for playing video games reached new heights in Germany in 2024. Sales revenue generated with mobile games reached the 3-billion-euro mark for the first time, up from around 2.9 billion euros in 2023. Mobile games thus continued their success story: their revenue has grown 63% since 2019 in Germany. These are the figures released by game – The German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company data.ai. A total of 24.3 million people in Germany play mobile games. Although this represents a slight drop of 300,000 from the previous year, mobile games enjoy unabated popularity. Accordingly, the smartphone has been the most used gaming platform in Germany for years now.

“Through their accessibility and variety, games for the smartphone and tablet inspire millions of people to play video games – young and old, men and women. This has not only resulted in a strong increase in revenue with mobile games in just a few years but also made the smartphone the most used gaming platform,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

In Germany, nearly all sales revenue generated with mobile games, or 98%, comes through in-app purchases. Most games for smartphones und tablets are offered on a free-to-play basis. Players may then opt to pay for additional content, such as levels or cosmetic features, in the form of in-app purchases. Around 57 million euros in sales is generated with online gaming services on smartphones and tablets. This includes subscription services like Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, which for a fixed monthly rate give players access to a wide selection of mobile games that they would otherwise have to buy separately. Individual game app purchases resulted in just 4 million euros in revenue in 2024. Since 2019, revenue from game app purchases has seen a sharp decline of 69%, which can be attributed to the growing popularity of free-to-play mobile games.

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After attaining unprecedented heights in recent years, the German games market saw a dip in its growth trajectory in 2024. Last year, sales revenue from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services in Germany totalled 9.4 billion euros – a 6% drop from the year before. This downturn was especially pronounced in purchases of games for PCs, consoles and smartphones (−17%, to 921 million euros), as well as in hardware purchases (−10%, to 2.9 billion euros). Running counter to the overall market trend, revenue from online gaming services saw a double-digit increase, rising 12% from the level of 2023, to 965 million euros. Players who use the smartphone and tablet are 39.2 years old on average – closely corresponding to the average age of 39.5 years among all video game players in the country. And mobile games are equally popular with young and old: while 10- to 19-year-olds comprise the largest share of game app users (22%), about every seventh mobile game player (15%) is over 60 years old. At 53%, a majority of mobile players are female; 47% are male.

The post Record Revenue with Mobile Games in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

 

A fresh beat is about to drop in the world of music rhythm games. Today marks the official launch of RedOctane Games, a small but passionate studio founded by veterans of the rhythm game world, alongside exceptional new-generation developers, creators, and community leaders from the global rhythm gaming scene.

RedOctane Games is focused solely on advancing the rhythm game genre combining the past with the future and being driven forward hand in hand with this well-established and respected community of gamers. The team has been busy in pre-production over recent months and has now officially entered production on its debut rhythm-based title, which is expected to be announced later this year.

Heading up the studio is Simon Ebejer, a seasoned games industry leader who was the Production Director on several Guitar Hero titles during his time at Neversoft, later becoming Studio Head at Vicarious Visions and VP of Operations at Blizzard Entertainment, where he played a pivotal role in the organization and delivery of Diablo IV.

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The RedOctane Games team includes creators and developers who helped create and scale Guitar Hero and DJ Hero nearly two decades ago, as well as proven emerging development talent and community leaders from across today’s rhythm gaming space. The studio is being built with the community from the ground up, ensuring that players are part of the creative journey from day one.

In addition, it has been announced that brothers Charles and Kai Huang will join a special advisory board for the company. Charles and Kai were the original founders of the Guitar Hero franchise back in 2005, having partnered with Harmonix Music Systems to launch the groundbreaking title that helped define a generation of rhythm gaming. Their involvement brings deep heritage and insight to the studio’s future direction.

“Rhythm games are about more than just gameplay they’re about feel, flow, and connection to the music and to each other,” said Simon Ebejer, Head of Studio. “RedOctane Games is our way of giving back to a genre that means so much to us, while pushing it forward in new and exciting directions.”

With community-built development at its core and a strong foundation of technical and creative talent, RedOctane Games is ready to deliver the next evolution in rhythm gaming.

The post RedOctane Games Launches: A New Studio Dedicated to Rhythm Gaming Innovation appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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The groundbreaking new entertainment sports league combining video gaming, celebrity, music, fashion, and culture—kicks off its first multi-title competition series with SZN Zero live on August 23rd

Las Vegas, Aug. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Gaming League (GGL) announced today its first season of year-around competitions titled SZN Zero. Backed by entertainment visionary Clinton Sparks and Grammy-winning artist and streaming icon T-Pain, the GGL is the first-of-its-kind, multi-title, live-action gaming entertainment league, where professional gamers, influencers, and casual players compete side-by-side in front of live audiences in Las Vegas and available globally on major platforms. Teams compete in popular game titles ranging from Call of Duty and Rocket League to Tetris and Street-Fighter.

Each event will feature two celebrity owned teams made up of four players each – high profile influencers, actors, athletes, artists, and both professional and casual gamers – facing off in four round matches covering four different genres. Superstar hosts and half time shows from major artists will turn up the entertainment factor. SZN Zero events will take place in Las Vegas, building up to a championship match in November live from the iconic Palms resort and casino, and the Global Gaming League will continue with SZN One in 2026. 

SZN Zero’s first competition on August 23rd will feature T-Pain’s team Nappy Boy Grizzlies against three-time, Grammy award-winning hitmaker NE-YO and his Gentleman’s Gaming Team – finally facing off after months of social media trash talk and rivalry about who’s better at Tekken.  The event will stream live on the GGL’s YouTube channel and other major platforms.

T-Pain, who is GGL’s Director of Strategy, was the league’s first team owner. NE-YO joins previously announced owners Flavor Flav and Bryce Hall along with Gillie Da Kid & Wallo.

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“We wanted to build something that brought gamers from different backgrounds and cultures together in a unique way that was equally fun and competitive,” said Clinton Sparks, Founder and CEO of the Global Gaming League.”With SZN Zero, we will introduce an authentic and relatable form of entertaining competition that will converge music, fashion, celebrity, and culture bringing the biggest form of entertainment in the world – video gaming – to the masses.” 

Watch and embed the GGL SZN Zero promo video here.

“Gaming is just as important as music or any other sport, to me” said T-Pain. “NE-YO had some words for me on socials, I heard enough of what he had to say and felt it was time to show him that I actually do this. But honestly I’m just ready to have some fun with my friend, because bottom line, that’s what gaming is all about. Now folks will just have to see what happens on August 23rd when we face off in Las Vegas at the GGL SZN Zero launch.”

NE-YO responded: “Honestly, I was trying to connect with T-Pain to maybe be part of his team but when he kept blowing me off and then I saw that video of him talking about my lips, I decided the only way to get his attention would be to call him out. Now, we’ll see just how good he really is – or isn’t – when we go head to head.”

World-class Publishers such as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, EA, Tetris, and Ubisoft have all agreed to allow GGL to use some of the most popular and challenging games during SZN Zero, attracting a new audience and offering viewers a unique and compelling gaming experience. In addition to YouTube, the Global Gaming League SZN Zero will be available on other major streaming platforms in partnership with Dooya Media Group.

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The community got a small taste of what’s to come at a GGL pre-season match where fans became the first to view a live competition between T-Pain and Bryce Hall, which also featured co-hosts Nick Cannon and Jermaine Dupri, and a half-time show by Soulja Boy.  (Watch highlights of that competition here).

The GGL solves a problem that has held gaming back from its rightful place in contemporary culture and business. GGL’s model was built intentionally to bring investors a meaningful return on investment, so brands can connect with the over 3 billion strong global gaming community, publishers can expand their IP to new audiences, celebrities can build an authentic footprint in gaming and gamers have a path to actually launch a career and be recognized as true athletes. 

More info on the Global Gaming League at www.globalgamingleague.com and follow @GlobalGamingLeague for updates.

For GGL media inquiries contact: [email protected] and [email protected]

For NE-YO related inquiries contact: [email protected]

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About Global Gaming League:
GGL is a new kind of league—where gaming, culture, music, sports, fashion, and reality TV collide. With celebrity-led teams, live competitions, global fan engagement, and next-gen media experiences, GGL is building the first entertainment system for the world’s largest and most engaged audience. Learn more at www.globalgamingleague.com

Attachments

• Global Gaming League logo
• T-Pain and NE-YO face off at Global Gaming League launch
• Global Gaming League SZN Zero launches August 23rd with T-Pain vs. NE-YO

CONTACT: [email protected]
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