The German gaming industry is projected to decline by 6% to €9.4 billion in 2024 according to recent forecasts
In 2024, Germany's gaming market observed a 6% decline, resulting in a total value of €9.4 billion. Premium game sales recorded a significant drop of 17%, falling to €921 million from €1.1 billion in the prior year.
This data was gathered from the German Games Industry Association (Game), with insights provided by YouGov Shopper, Nielsen IQ, and Data.ai.
Total revenues from games, which include premium sales as well as in-game and in-app purchases, dropped 6% to €5.5 billion.
There was a minor reduction of 3% in revenues from in-game and in-app purchases, settling at €4.6 billion. Game emphasized the importance of this revenue stream to balance rising development costs and economic risks.
In terms of hardware, income fell by 10% to €2.9 billion in 2024. The most notable decline was observed in console sales, which plummeted 26% year-on-year to €807 million.
Nevertheless, Game highlighted that the year 2023 was not typical due to the "catch-up effect" from models that were previously less accessible, noting that 2024 figures remained higher than those in 2022.
Online gaming services experienced a growth spurt, climbing 12% to €965 million in 2024 from €860 million the previous year.
Felix Falk, the managing director of Game, commented, "After a period of frequent and robust growth, the German games sector paused growth in 2024." Falk attributed this to both fewer successful games released and stabilized console demand.
He added, "The most noticeable increase is within online game services like cloud gaming, which highlights the game's industry's enduring dynamism and innovation. Combined with the upcoming new gaming consoles and anticipated blockbuster releases, this is promising for further market expansion soon."