The German games industry is slowly recovering from the effects of international consolidation and funding uncertainty.
That’s according to new data released by the German Games Industry Association (Game) based on gamesmap.de, a database recently rebuilt by Goldmedia. It now includes approximately 1,800 entries, covering developers, publishers, and related companies.
The data shows a modest increase in companies but a continued decline in employment.
The number of game companies in Germany rose 4% this year, from 917 to 956. Growth was strongest among development-only studios, which increased 6% to 474.
Companies that both develop and publish grew 3%, while those focused solely on publishing rose 2%.
Employment among game developers and publishers fell 3% to 12,235, marking the second consecutive year of decline.
Overall, the German games industry supports more than 30,000 jobs across education, media, the public sector, and retail.
Game credits the industry’s resilience during global consolidation to government measures, such as the expanded Federal Games Funding Programme and the ‘Press Start’ start-up scholarship. The scholarship has supported the founding of 75 new game studios.
“The situation for Germany’s games companies remains challenging – and nowhere is that clearer than in the employee figures, which have now fallen for the second year in a row,” said Game managing director Felix Falk.
“The rising number of companies, on the other hand, is an encouraging sign. Amid the global wave of market consolidation, Germany is holding up better than many other countries. With these measures, and the announced introduction of tax-based games funding, the federal government is setting important growth impulses and strengthening Germany’s international competitiveness in the crucial future industry of games.”
