Central Europe
Sales Revenue of German Game Developers Failed to Keep Pace with the Strong Growth of German Games Market
The total sales revenue of game developers in Germany failed to keep pace with the strong growth of the German games market in 2020: although revenue from games from Germany increased, it did so at a slower rate than revenue from games developed abroad. The result is a slight decline in the market share of German-developed games in the domestic market. Whereas German game developers captured €4.93 of every hundred euros spent on games in Germany in 2019, their corresponding share in 2020 was just €4.17. These figures were published by game – the German Games Industry Association. The data is based on surveys conducted by the GfK Consumer Panel, GfK Entertainment and App Annie, and on game’s own market surveys and monitoring.
A closer view shows significant differences in the performance of the individual market segments. The market share of game apps for smartphones and tablets rose from about 3 to nearly 4.1%, while the revenue share of German-developed games in the submarket of games for PCs and consoles dropped from around 1.9 to 1.3% within one year. Online and browser-based games registered a much sharper decline, with their domestic market share plummeting by more than half – from 17.6 to 7.2%. The inability of German-developed games to benefit more strongly from the boom in many areas in 2020 is in large part due to underlying market conditions in Germany that remain more difficult than those in other countries.
The first effects of the games funding programme, such as the increase in employment in the core labour market by 8%, are already evident. However, more comprehensive positive effects will only become apparent with a delay. In addition, the games market is strongly hit-driven and the number of especially successful games has an outsized impact on total revenue. The larger and more diverse the German game development landscape becomes in the future, the less influence individual studios or titles will have on the development of sales revenue overall.
“The development of the games market in 2020 was unique and has brought many games studios forward both internationally and in Germany. Overall, however, we as the German games industry have unfortunately not yet been able to profit enough from the historic leap in growth on our home market. We are not yet strong and broadly enough positioned as a games location. Although the nationwide games funding is already showing initial effects, such as the increase in employees in the core labour market, the full effect will only unfold in a few years. And even that will only succeed if we continue to work on the competitive conditions in Germany. The federal government’s games strategy points the way for this with topics such as skilled workers, digital infrastructure, start-up support, digital education and esports,” Felix Falk, Managing Director of game, said.
German Games Market: Big Jump in Sales Revenue in 2020
The German games market recorded a strong jump in sales revenue in the Covid-19 year 2020: total sales revenue of around 8.5 billion euros was achieved in computer and video games and associated hardware, as already reported by game. This is an increase of 32% compared to the previous year. Sales of more than 3.2 billion euros were registered with games consoles, gaming PCs and the corresponding peripheral equipment. This is an increase of 26% compared to 2019. The submarket for computer and video games saw even stronger growth, with revenues of 5.2 billion euros achieved through game purchases, in-game and in-app purchases, subscriptions and charges for online services. As a result, this part of the market managed to grow by 36% compared to the previous year.
Powered by WPeMatico
Yellow and black meets green and white! Interwetten becomes SK Rapid’s new team partner. The online sports betting pioneer and Austria’s most popular football club are starting the new season together. The combination with Rapid coach Peter Stöger, who has been an Interwetten expert for many years and will also remain on the sidelines, makes the partnership a real success.
With more than 24,000 club members and over 220 official fan clubs, the Austrian record champions boast the largest fan base in the country! And with the Allianz Stadium in Vienna’s West Hütteldorf, the Green-Whites boast a modern home! Interwetten is expanding its extensive football commitment to include a traditional club and will now be present at SK Rapid’s home games on a ball display or 3D carpet in the stadium, as well as on the Hütteldorf club’s digital channels.
“We are very pleased about the new team partnership with SK Rapid. The connection to a club with great charisma and passion is a perfect fit for Interwetten. And the best part: With our long-time expert Peter Stöger, we already have Rapid’s coach on board ,” explains Interwetten Marketing Director Dieter Grück , who promises fans a comprehensive experience in addition to betting.
Grück adds : “We are planning various digital activations throughout the season that will offer our customers and Rapid fans unique experiences. This will certainly include exclusive promotions with Peter Stöger. With this, we want to underline our connection with Austrian football.”
SK Rapid Managing Director Steffen Hofmann warmly welcomes the sports betting provider to the green and white partner family. “This partnership is a strong signal and demonstrates the trust placed in our club. Together, we are planning innovative activations and are convinced that the collaboration will be very successful. I am delighted that Interwetten is now part of the large green and white partner family.”
The post Interwetten becomes team partner of SK Rapid appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow
Scientific Games will continue to bring exciting instant scratchcard games to Polish National Lottery players through a new agreement with Totalizator Sportowy. Celebrating the instant lottery’s 25th anniversary last year, Totalizator Sportowy is among the top five performing instant game lotteries in Europe (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac). The world’s largest lottery games company has provided scratchcards to Totalizator Sportowy for more than 20 years, with scratchcard game sales in Poland growing by 20% over the past three years (2022 to 2025).
“Our goal is to give our players entertaining scratchcard experiences while responsibly generating maximum proceeds for Polish sport and culture. We are delighted to continue working with Scientific Games to offer fun, modern scratch experiences,” said Katarzyna Woznica-Borkowska, Manager of Instant Products for Totalizator Sportowy.
Most recently, Scientific Games collaborated with Totalizator Sportowy to offer Polish players the PLN30 GIGA 7 game produced with the company’s advanced Dimension technology, which enhances the play experience with three-dimensional, reflection-at-different-angle refractions above and below the game graphics.
Currently, the company provides instant games to 110 government-regulated lotteries worldwide, including more than 50 European lotteries.
“Scientific Games is honored to continue our longtime relationship with Totalizator Sportowy that we have built across two decades,” said Paul Dures, Lottery Sales Director EMEA for Scientific Games. “We look forward to continuing our work to drive meaningful growth for the scratchcard games in Poland creating more innovative and attractive games for players.”
With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
The post Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years
After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.
Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.
‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’
The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.
The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Australia6 days agoAUSTRAC Launches Civil Penalty Proceedings Against Mounties
-
Joe Solosky6 days ago
NASCAR and nVenue, Bring Groundbreaking Live Probabilities to In-Season Challenge Broadcast for Fans Watching Live Racing
-
Brazil6 days agoWA. Technology Receives GLI Certification in Brazil for Casino Aggregator Product
-
Esportes da Sorte6 days ago
Esportes da Sorte champions Responsible Gaming with strong internal culture and compliance focus
-
Balkans6 days ago
Over 70 Diamond King 4 Installations in Palms Bet Gaming Halls
-
Baltics6 days ago
SOFTSWISS Jackpot Aggregator Enters the Estonian Market
-
Community Mitigation Fund6 days ago
Massachusetts Gaming Commission Awards $22.8 Million in Grants from Community Mitigation Fund
-
Nasdaq:LTRYW6 days ago
Lottery.com Relaunches in Mexico with Projected $5.2M Revenue as SEGG Media Puts Focus on International Gaming Operations
