Consumers in Germany spend less on computer and video games
For the first time in a long time, consumers in Germany spent less money on computer and video games, as well as related hardware. In the first half of 2024, the turnover for games in Germany was around 4.3 billion euros, six percent lower than the previous year, the industry association Game announced in Berlin, citing data from market research companies GfK and data.ai. The association's statistics go back to 2014 - there has been no decline in this period. The last decline in the growth industry was more than ten years ago.
In particular, demand for hardware - such as consoles, gaming PCs, and other accessories - weakened. In this area, there was a decrease of 18 percent to 1.18 billion euros. In Germany, 2.59 billion euros were generated in the first half of 2024 with games, four percent less than before. In contrast, online services for gaming, which are important for networked gaming on the internet, continued to rise sharply. Here, there was an increase of 25 percent to 0.52 billion euros.
One reason for the recent development was a strong comparative period: In the first half of 2023, many blockbuster games were released, for which the fans' willingness to pay was quite high. In the first half of 2024, fewer major games were released. "We have a growth dip," says association CEO Felix Falk. However, he is confident that growth will continue soon: "The games market will not remain in decline for long."
The decline in consumer spending on computer and video games in Germany can be partially attributed to a lower demand for hardware, such as consoles and gaming PCs. Despite the decrease in sales, online gaming services continued to see a significant increase, indicating a shift in consumer preferences.
