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
SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene
SYNOT Games, a leading iGaming provider, has partnered with win2day, taking a major step in its Austrian market growth strategy.
The collaboration marks its debut with the launch of Resin Joker, a fan-favorite slot that combines the simplicity of a classic gaming experience with a fresh, modern twist. With its smooth gameplay, vibrant audio-visuals, and universal appeal, Respin Joker has become a standout title for players seeking both entertainment and nostalgia.
As this partnership progresses, players can look forward to a steady rollout of additional games from SYNOT Games’ extensive portfolio, further enriching win2day’s already robust catalog. This collaboration is designed to offer Austrian players a premium gaming experience, with a diverse selection of games that blend cutting-edge innovation and top-tier quality.
Georg Wawer, Managing Director of win2day, said: „As the sole licensed operator in Austria, our goal is to host all leading iGaming providers on our platform. Synot, being a major player on the international stage, makes us proud to feature their content. We regard SYNOT Games as a skilled and trustworthy partner for win2day, and we are confident that this collaboration will yield great success.„
Martina Krajčí, CCO at SYNOT Games, commented: “We are excited to partner with win2day and bring our games to Austrian players. At SYNOT Games, our focus has always been on providing quality entertainment, and this partnership highlights our commitment to delivering an outstanding gaming experience.”
The post SYNOT Games teams up with win2day to revolutionize Austria’s iGaming scene appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany
- From living room start-up to online market leader
- Ambitious growth targets and innovative product ideas
ZEAL Network SE, the market leader for online lotteries in Germany, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Founded in 1999 as Tipp24, the company was one of the first on the German market to bring lotteries to the internet. Since then, ZEAL has had a lasting impact on the German online lottery business.
“We are very proud of a quarter century of ZEAL,” says Helmut Becker, CEO of ZEAL. “What began 25 years ago as a two-man start-up in Hamburg has now developed into a group of companies with more than 250 employees. We are more successful than ever in our core business of lottery brokerage and are continuously expanding our market share and our business model. In doing so, we are staying true to our motto: we define the future of lottery.”
From start-up to international group
ZEAL was founded as Tipp24 in Hamburg in 1999. The company was one of the first providers to enable participation in state lotteries in Germany via the Internet – with great success. The IPO followed in 2005. This was followed by the temporary relocation of the company headquarters to London, the change of name to ZEAL Network SE and the development of new business abroad. In 2019, the company returned to Hamburg and took over LOTTO24 AG. This made ZEAL the largest lottery broker in Germany. Today, more than 1.3 million customers play with ZEAL’s brands every month.
“As one of the founders, I am particularly happy about ZEAL’s success story,” says Jens Schumann, co-founder of ZEAL 25 years ago and now a member of the Supervisory Board. “When we founded the company, we printed out the lottery tickets that our customers played online and handed them in at the kiosk around the corner. A lot has happened since then. Today, ZEAL is one of Germany’s leading e-commerce companies. It gives me great pleasure to have been so closely involved in its development to date.”
Continuing to grow in the core business, developing new business areas
Today, ZEAL is the market leader for online lotteries in Germany. The brokerage of participation in state and charity lotteries remains the company’s core business, which it intends to expand in the future. In addition, ZEAL is continuously developing its portfolio: in the summer, for example, the company launched the first raffle of an existing property in Germany with Traumhausverlosung (English name: Dream House Raffle). ZEAL also appeals to younger target groups in particular with the freiheit+ charity lottery. Last year, ZEAL also launched an online games offering, which has been continuously expanded since then. ZEAL also operates the online presence of the ONCE charity lottery in Spain, a public organization for the blind, and invests in industry-specific start-ups via its ventures department ZEAL Ventures.
The post 25 years of ZEAL: A quarter century of online lottery in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award”
The world’s largest independent brand evaluation organization, Business Superbrands Brand Council, has once again recognized NOVOMATIC as one of Austria’s strongest brands for the year 2024/2025.
The prestigious award is given to brands that have built up an outstanding image in their market segment and clearly stand out from their competitors. After a pre-selection by the credit rating service provider Bisnode D&B, an independent panel of experts decides on the awarding of the title. NOVOMATIC’s exceptional brand strength and innovative power were convincing and underlined our success on both the domestic and international markets.
Stefan Krenn, Executive Board Member of NOVOMATIC AG, accepted the award from András Wiszkidenszky, Superbrands Regional Director, and emphasized: “This award underlines our strong market position and the continuous pursuit of innovation and excellence in the international gaming industry. At the same time, it is a sign of appreciation for the extraordinary commitment of our employees, who contribute to the success of the NOVOMATIC brand every day.”
András Wiszkidenszky added: “The Superbrand award underlines the economic appeal of the NOVOMATIC brand. Congratulations on the outstanding brand management and strong positioning that have made NOVOMATIC one of the strongest brands in Austria.”
The post NOVOMATIC once again honored with the “Business Superbrands Austria Award” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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