The most recent report issued by the German Association of the Game Industry shows that between 2018 and 2024, the German game industry achieved “a strong growth” and the number of game companies increased by 81 per cent. During this period, the number of play studios rose from 594 to 948.
The Association attributed this increase to the implementation of the German Federal Game Funding Scheme. The scheme provides an annual pool of 125 million euros and has begun to provide financial support to enterprises. According to the report data, 87 per cent of the studios expected that the autonomy scheme would provide additional support for development work and 67 per cent of the studios expected an increase in revenue. In addition, 63 per cent of the workplaces believed that the plan would improve the competitiveness of the industry and help stabilize employment. At the same time, the proportion of women in the game industry in Germany has increased from 25 per cent to 30 per cent. The report also states that between 2018 and 2024, the total income of German games companies increased by 22 per cent to Euro3.78 billion. The number of employed persons increased by 20 per cent to 14,800.
Felix Falk, Managing Director of the German Games Industry Association, said: “The strong growth in the industry over the past few years is a clear indication that the game industry will be able to hand over its bright responses as long as the framework conditions are right. The federal game funding scheme is worth money for Germany. But the real accelerator has not yet been activated. Only through a reliable combination of game funding and tax incentives can we fully exploit the full potential of Germany as a base for the game industry.” He concluded: “By meeting this international standard, we can raise competitiveness to a new level and thus have the opportunity to catch up with the world’s top industrial concentrations.”