Germany Has Voted: What Does It Mean for the Local Games Industry?

The results of the 2025 Bundestag elections are in. The most likely constellation for the next German government is a coalition between CDU/CSU and SPD. But what do the parties have in mind for the games industry? So far, not much.

According to the preliminary official results of the 2025 federal election in Germany, the CDU/CSU is the strongest party with 28.52% (+4.38%), followed by the AfD with 20.8% (+10.42%). All the parties in the last coalition government, known as the 'Ampel', consisting of the SPD, the Grünen and the FDP, lost many votes. The SPD lost 9.29% and now has 16.41%, the Grünen lost 3.11% and now have 11.61% and the FDP lost 7.1% and now has 4.33%. This means that the FDP will have no representation in the future Bundestag. The BSW also failed to clear the five percent hurdle, albeit very, very narrowly. Die Linke gained almost four percentage points to 8.77%.

Since no party has enough seats in the Bundestag to govern alone, a coalition must be formed. The CDU/CSU has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of working with the AfD, even though the AfD has openly expressed its support for such a move. Due to the number of seats, a coalition between the CDU/CSU, also known as the Union, and the SPD - what was called a 'grand coalition' a few years ago - is the most likely scenario. The two parties would have 328 out of 630 seats, a slim majority. So what does this mean for the games industry in Germany? The parties' election programmes allow only a few conclusions to be drawn. It is also unclear whether current funding will continue in its current form.

The CDU/CSU manifesto promises to strengthen the creative industries. They will place particular emphasis on supporting and funding the music, cinema, film and games industries. However, neither party has provided any details on how this will be achieved. But they did acknowledge that esports is so well established in Germany that it should be recognised as a non-profit activity. In the CSU's own Bavarian agenda for the 2025 federal elections, neither games nor esports are specifically mentioned.

The SPD manifesto also talks about strengthening the cultural and creative industries. "We want to strengthen their funding through clear framework conditions and tax incentives," it says. While the party specifically states that it is committed to a comprehensive reform of film funding, consisting of a tax incentive system and an investment obligation for international streaming platforms, the party is somewhat tight-lipped when it comes to games. The Social Democrats say they want to specifically promote games as a non-commercial cultural asset and driver of innovation, as games combine culture, technology and business and contribute to creative diversity. Esports are not mentioned in the programme.

Whether games and esports will receive more attention in the upcoming coalition negotiations remains to be seen.

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