game: Bavaria Outranks North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin, and Hamburg

In the latest game's Industry Barometer published by the game industry association, Bavaria has reclaimed the top spot, surpassing North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin, and Hamburg as one of Germany’s leading gaming hubs. There was also a notable shift at the lower end of the rankings, with Hesse unexpectedly landing in last place.

The result is likely to mean satisfied faces in Bavaria and strengthen the Bavarian Digital Minister Fabian Mehring's position. Mehring, who took office at the end of 2023, had proclaimed 2024 the “Year of Games” in Bavaria and launched numerous support measures. These have apparently been well received in the industry: as game has announced, like 2021 (in German) Bavaria again has achieved first place among the games locations in Germany in the new Industry Barometer of game, which is based on a level of industry consolidation among the member companies.

"The trend of the past years is continuing: more and more German states are recognising the value of the games industry for their region and are working on better conditions for games companies. In view of the flip-flopping relating to national games funding, the German states with good game funding programmes were all the more important in the last two years. This commitment has paid off for these locations in the form of countless positive effects in areas such as the economy, innovation and society," says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

According to the association, the race for the top spot was exceptionally close. In the end, however, Bavaria succeeded in overtaking 2023's frontrunner (in German), North Rhine-Westphalia. The other federal states that have consistently ranked among Germany's top gaming locations followed: Berlin, Hamburg, and Baden-Württemberg.

The most intriguing developments, however, occurred in the midfield and lower ranks. Like Bavaria, several other federal states introduced new initiatives that shifted the rankings. Saxony, for instance, which shared last place a year ago with Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, climbed to the midfield after organizing its own gamescom stand for the first time in 2024.

The biggest surprise this year is Hesse landing at the bottom of the list. Despite being one of the most economically successful states in the games industry, its perception among association members appears to be weak. Hesse is home to some of the country's most significant studios, including Crytek, Deck13, and Keen Games, as well as major publishers and distributors such as Sony Interactive Entertainment, Nintendo, Bandai Namco Entertainment, and Bethesda. However, compared to other federal states, Hesse has been reluctant to provide funding for the industry. Many initiatives in the region originate directly from the industry itself.

The location ranking based on a member survey has been published by the game association since 2021 at two-year intervals.

Never miss anything from the German, Swiss and Austrian games industry again: subscribe for free to our Daily newsletter and get all news straight to your inbox.