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Germany is a crucial European market for publishers. Sales in the region generated a cool €2bn in 2011, according to research from German games trade body BIU.
72m games were sold last year, accounting for €1.5bn. Price comparison site Idealo recently reported that games are over 20 per cent more expensive in Germany than in the UK – as much as 33 per cent more on PC.
Nevertheless, BIU data shows that PC dominates the market with 24.5 games sold. By comparison, console games sales came to 24.7bn.
Consumers have also embraced downloads, with more than a quarter of all PC, console and mobile games being sold digitally in 2011.
There are 25 million gamers in Germany – with a fairly event split between the sexes, too. Men still lead the way with 13.9m male gamers, but women follow closely with 10.8m.
The average German gamer is 32 years old, although the medium is also particularly popular with teenagers – three quarters (5.5m) of consumers aged 10 to 19 play games regularly.
Small wonder then that so many games firms are looking for ways to enter this market. Lace Mamba recently struck a deal with Koch Media to bring its titles to Germany.
The country even hosts Europe’s biggest games show Gamescom every August in Cologne.
Germany is also known for its strict censorship. Epic Games shooter Bulletstorm was one of a handful of titles that had to be altered before release last year.
However, hope still remains for publishers of violent games. The restrictions that banned theoriginal Doom and Doom II from being sold to teenagers were finally lifted in September – 17 years after it was instigated.
THE FACTS
Population: 81,799,600
Currency: Euro
GDP (Per Capita): $44,555
Capital City: Berlin
Language: German
KEY RETAILERS
Amazon, Drogerie Mueller, Expert, Galeria Kaufhof, GameStop, Marktkauf, MediaMarkt, Pro Markt, Real, Saturn
MAIN DISTRIBUTORS
Gro Electronic, Grohandel, Koch Media, Otto Group, Playcom Software Vertriebs, Vitrex Multimedia
TOP DEVELOPERS
Aerosoft, Animedo, Anvil Soft, Artex Software, Aruba Studios, Beat Games, Bit Barons, Bitfield, Candygun Games, Claw Design, Crytek, Deck 13, EA Phenomic, EnterTrain, Fancy Byts, Fishlabs, InsaneSoft, Keen Games, Pixon, Reality Twist, Silent Dreams, Silver Style, Sofatronic, Spellbound Studios, Yager Development, Zeal, Zone 2 Media
PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION
BigBen Interactive, Capcom, City Interactive, Deep Silver, EA, Kalypso, Microsoft, Namco Bandai, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland, Square Enix, THQ, Ubisoft
