Central Europe
German games market grows by 17 per cent in 2021
The German games market has followed up its historic growth spurt in 2020 with yet another year of significant growth: in 2021, approx-imately 9.8 billion euros in revenues were generated from games, charges for online services and games hardware. This is an increase of 17 per cent com-pared to the previous year. Already in 2020, the German games market was able to grow by 32 per cent, which was due in part to the growth in new video game players that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic. These are the numbers released today by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research companies GfK and data.ai. The demand for games hardware, particularly for games consoles (+23 per cent) and acces-sories for gaming PCs (+22 per cent), as well as in-game and in-app purchases (+30 per cent), was the biggest driver of growth.
According to Felix Falk, Managing Director of game: ‘Following the historic growth spurt in 2020, the German games market continued its strong perfor-mance with significant growth in 2021. This also demonstrates that the people who first took up playing during the lockdowns are still enjoying it. We are partic-ularly delighted by the strong growth in games hardware. No matter whether they are using games consoles or gaming PCs, Germany’s video game players once again invested considerable sums in their equipment to ensure that they would be able to continue enjoying their games in the best possible quality in future. In fact, demand in some cases exceeded supply, meaning that it would have been possible to increase sales revenue by even more.’
Games, games hardware and charges for online services: all three market segments posted growth once again
Sales revenue from purchases of computer and video games grew by 19 per cent to about 5.4 billion euros. So-called in-game and in-app purchases were once again the biggest driver of growth here, with sales revenue increasing by 30 per cent overall to about 4.2 billion euros. This is happening in response to a sustained trend towards free-to-play games, as well as a general increase in the length of time that individual titles are being supported with the frequent addition of new free and charged content. Sales revenue from the once-only purchase of games, on the other hand, fell significantly, by 9 per cent to about 1.1 billion eu-ros. Sales revenue through monthly subscription charges for individual games – a model that is common among online role-playing games – also fell, by 11 per cent to 145 million euros.
Sales revenue from games hardware grew by 18 per cent overall to about 3.6 billion euros. Games consoles are in particular demand: although retailers were often sold out of some models, sales revenue still managed to increase by 23 per cent to 808 million euros. Approximately 1 billion euros were generated from sales of gaming PCs – both desktops and laptops. This is an increase of 10 per cent compared to the previous year. More and more video game players are also investing in accessories to make their experience even better. Demand for graphic cards, keyboards, mice, monitors and VR headsets for gaming is espe-cially strong. Sales revenue from purchases of gaming PC accessories grew by 22 per cent to about 1.5 billion euros. Sales revenue from games console ac-cessories increased by 11 per cent to 306 million euros.
Following a huge 50 per cent leap in growth in 2020, sales revenue generated by online gaming services rose by an additional 4 per cent to 720 million euros in 2021. Gaming subscription services such as the Xbox Game Pass, EA Play and Ubisoft+ made a key contribution to this growth, with their sales revenue increas-ing by 22 per cent to 220 million euros. Cloud gaming services, on the other hand, experienced a decline of 13 per cent to 63 million euros. One of the rea-sons for this is the fact that some cloud gaming functions have been integrated into other services free of charge, meaning that no independent sales revenues are generated for these functions. Sales revenue from online gaming services also fell, by 2 million euros to 437 million euros. These are frequently offered for various games consoles and include – depending on the specific offer – free monthly games, games discounts, the ability to play online, or even cloud stor-age for saved games.
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Central Europe
NOVOMATIC builds the Group’s largest photovoltaic system in Lower Austria
NOVOMATIC has underscored its clear commitment to sustainability by installing the Group’s largest photovoltaic system. More than 4,600 solar panels have been installed on the roof of the headquarters in Lower Austria, covering a total area of 20,000 m2 and ceremoniously commissioned in the presence of Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, NOVOMATIC’s Executive Board and the mayor of Gumpoldskirchen, Ferdinand Köck.
The PV system, with a size equivalent to three football pitches, will produce around two million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, thereby enabling the company to meet a substantial portion of this location’s annual energy needs. In addition to being used in the offices and production facilities, this green electricity will also find its way into the company’s dedicated charging stations for its fleet of e-vehicles. It is a similar situation with international subsidiaries in countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain, Romania, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Poland, South Africa and Australia, which are already meeting substantial portions of their electricity needs from dedicated PV systems.
State Governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, emphasizes “Lower Austria is a pioneer in efforts to develop the use of wind energy and photovoltaics. Half of all the wind power produced in Austria and a quarter of all the country’s photovoltaic electricity already comes from Lower Austria today. We can do this because many companies do their bit to ensure the green and sustainable future of the state’s economic engine, investing in the development of renewable energy sources. Thank you for this investment and the trust placed in the economic hub that is Lower Austria.”
“The completion of the Group’s largest photovoltaic plant is not just a key milestone in the sustainability strategy of NOVOMATIC AG, but it also means we have sent a clear signal of our intentions to foster a strong and efficient energy future. After all, it is only by taking responsibility that business success can be guaranteed in the long term,” says the Executive Board of the NOVOMATIC AG Group.
Installing the new PV system on already built-up areas helps NOVOMATIC to consistently reduce its carbon footprint, and enabling it now to save more than 1,100 tons of CO2 emissions every year, the equivalent of 90,500 trees compensating for CO2. The concept of “Going Green” is firmly anchored in the company’s comprehensive ESG program as Europe’s leading gaming technology group. In addition to its work to expand the use of photovoltaics across the Group, the company is also focusing its attention on monitoring resources and expanding e-mobility, all with a view to permanently cutting international CO2 emissions.
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Central Europe
ComeOn Group’s Sportsbook hub in Austria relocates to new office space to facilitate further growth
ComeOn Group announced the relocation of its sportsbook, tech and risk management hub in Graz, Austria, to a new and central office space. The new office marks yet another milestone in ComeOn’s investment to accelerate its proprietary sportsbook platform and deliver a differentiated product proposition to its sportsbook players.
ComeOn’s proprietary sportsbook platform and in-house trading team is a key part of its strategy to grow the sportsbook business according to the company’s growth strategy. The office in Austria marks the central gravity of the platform development and opens up room for the teams to grow further as ComeOn levels up its investment into their sportsbook part of the business.
Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited about our new sportsbook engineering and trading hub in Graz. Sportsbook is a key driver of our growth plans ahead and we are well on track with the strategic goal we have set to double our sportsbook business in the next three years. By investing in technology and our proprietary sportsbook platform we are not only providing our customers with top-notch entertainment experiences but also ensuring that our employees have the tools and environment they need to innovate and excel. Our new office is not just a place to work; it’s a hub for collaboration and growth, allowing us to better serve our customers.”
The new office opened its doors officially at the beginning of October and ComeOn Group remains dedicated to providing creative and modern office spaces across all their locations for its employees to keep on innovating to deliver the most exciting entertainment experiences for their customers.
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Central Europe
Digitain and LeBull.pl Join Forces with a New Exciting Partnership
Digitain keeps expanding its presence on the European market with a new partnership with LeBull.pl, a major Polish sports betting and casino operator.
The integration with LeBull.pl will further expand the existing partnership with LeBull. Building on a successful partnership, LeBull.pl is taking its Polish market presence to the next level with Digitain’s award-winning sportsbook solution, which will empower LeBull.pl to engage players more effectively through a range of innovative features.
Following the announcement, Ani Mkrtchyan, Chief Sales Officer of Digitain, said: “This new partnership is a significant milestone in Digitain’s strategy to expand in Poland. We’re happy to be able to work with such a brand as Lebull.pl and their management team to bring our common vision to life.
LeBull.pl commitments and objectives perfectly align with ours, so we’re looking forward to reach new heights together.”
Konrad Łabudek, Head of LeBull Poland, also commented on this agreement: “Poland is an exciting market for us, as we are eager to further develop in the region and our implementation there has to do with our collaboration with Digitain. Together we managed to develop a product that complies with the specific and complicated regulations in force in Poland. Digitain’s incredible service and quality support were very helpful in this regard.
Poland is a significant market with opportunities for growth, and one we’re delighted to be a part of. We look forward to cooperating with Digitain’s team to reach new heights and increase our brand’s presence in this promising market for months and years to come.”
The integration with LeBull.pl, which is powered by Gamingtec platform, will further expand the existing partnership with LeBull. Building on a successful partnership, LeBull.pl is taking its Polish market presence to the next level with Digitain’s award-winning sportsbook solution, which will empower LeBull.pl to engage players more effectively through a range of innovative features.
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