German games market regains momentum in the first half of the year

4.73 billion euros in turnover, four percent more than in the previous year - this is the balance of the German gaming market in the first half of 2023, presented by the games association before gamescom. So the market is becoming more dynamic.

It is a result that was not necessarily to be expected after data was leaked only a few weeks ago that spoke of a decline in sales in the German games market. Although the industry association game did not go into the sales numbers trend when presenting the half-year data, which traditionally takes place at a press conference in the run-up to gamescom, it did go into the turnover. And this is not only increasing, but it is increasing faster than it did last year.

Specifically, the industry in Germany turned over a total of 4.73 billion euros in the first half of 2023. That is four per cent more than in the first half of 2022. A year ago, the market volume at the half-year point was 4.55 billion euros, which in turn corresponded to an increase of only two per cent. So the market is gaining momentum.

A look at the segments shows that the highest percentage growth was achieved in hardware, also because the availability of consoles is now given there. Turnover in this segment grew by six per cent to 1.62 billion euros. On the other hand, there was an increase of four per cent in games software related turnover, which includes not only physical and digital sales but also the in-game and in-app purchases. Thus, 2.69 billion euros were generated in the first half of the year. The so-called gaming online services, i.e. subscriptions, for example, for Xbox or PlayStation Plus services, but also for cloud gaming and similar offers, suffered a minus of one per cent.

"After stabilizing at a high level in 2022, the German gaming market picked up again in the first half of 2023: A plus of 4 per cent is a remarkable development in view of the economic uncertainties in the past months. Above all, the many high-class blockbuster titles in the first half of the year contributed to this result. Added to this was the continued strong demand for game consoles, which can now finally be better satisfied," says Felix Falk, managing director of game.