Central Europe
HGC 2024 Sets Strong Business Focus with Top International Speakers Under the Key Topic ‘Invest in Games’
The Hamburg Games Conference (HGC) 2024 will bring the international games industry together on March 5 and 6 under the key topic of ‘Invest in Games’. While the games industry is in troubled waters, the HGC provides practical impulses for companies and founders to position themselves successfully on the market. Confirmed as the first speakers are Brjann Sigurgeirsson (co-founder Thunderful Group), Sophie Vo (founder Rise and Play), James Batchelor (Editor-in-Chief Gamesindustry.biz), Timm Geyer (founder Geyer Media Consult) and Are Mack Growen (Partner at London Venture Partners). The main focus is on obtaining financing and identifying new business opportunities.
An advisory board consisting of the companies Sunday, Bigpoint, The Sandbox, InnoGames and 1SP Agency Holding supports the organizers Gamecity Hamburg, GRAEF Rechtsanwalte and Super Crowd Entertainment in the planning and implementation of the HGC program. Tickets for companies and start-ups are available at https:// HGC2024.EventBrite.de.
HGC 2023 welcomed more than 500 conference guests from 26 countries. On March 5 and 6, 2024, the Altonaer Museum will once again offer an attractive setting with a maritime atmosphere for exclusive keynotes, panels, roundtables, networking and matchmaking over two conference days.
Renowned games experts and experts
Speakers will present current investment topics and insights on two stages. Already confirmed: Brjann Sigurgeirsson (co-founder Thunderful Group) on ‘Creating and sustaining a successful gaming brand’, Sophie Vo (founder Rise and Play) on ‘Cultural due diligence in M&A’, James Batchelor (Editor-in-Chief GamesIndustry.biz) on ‘What’s definitely not the future of games development?’, Timm Geyer (founder Geyer Media Consult) on ‘Options in challenging situations for game studios and Are Mack Growen (Partner at London Venture Partners) on ‘Raising venture capital – How to approach a VC’. In addition, the call for speakers for HGC 2024 is running until December 4: https:// GamesConference .com/Call-For-Speakers.
Exclusive program on-site
The program of the HGC 2024 offers exclusive talks and panels as a unique live experience in the unique atmosphere of the Altonaer Museum. Participants will gain practical insights into current investment topics and the best conditions for B2B matchmaking and business meetings on-site. With the support of Hamburg’s games companies, the HGC is the hub for intensive networking and matchmaking. Companies and game studios will present their products and games in the expanded expo area in the Altonaer Museum and will be available for talks and meetings. In addition to the companies on the advisory board, the HGC is supported by the sponsors 4Players, Bytro, Photon, Photon, Playa Games, Threaks and Tiny Roar.
Business and start-up tickets are now available
The business ticket for 349 Euros provides guests with access to the two-day conference program as well as the opportunity to arrange meetings with other conference guests and make valuable new contacts. Start-up tickets are also available for newly-founded companies. They allow participation in the entire conference program as well as matchmaking at a discounted price of 199 euros. Tickets for the HGC 2024 are available at https:// HGC2024.EventBrite.de. All current information on the Hamburg Games Conference 2024 is available at www. GamesConference .com.
The first German Creative Economy Summit on March 6 and 7, 2024, in Hamburg
Adjacent to the Hamburg Games Conference, visitors can also attend the German Creative Economy Summit in Hamburg on March 7, organized by the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft with a diverse program of keynotes, panels and workshops from the nationwide creative industries. All information is available at https:// German-Creative-Economy-Summit.de. Anyone who purchases a ticket for the Hamburg Games Conference can secure a 20% discount on a ticket for the German Creative Economy Summit to attend the summit after the HGC on March 7. If required, visitors can register at HGC@ Super-Crowd .com.
The share of PC and console games purchased as downloads in Germany climbed to 60% for the first time in 2023, meaning that download purchases have remained at the same high level they reached during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Back then, the share of downloads jumped from 45 to 58%. These figures were published by game – The German Games Industry Association, in cooperation with market research company CPS GfK. A closer look at the individual gaming platforms, though, shows there are huge differences between them. Download purchases are most popular among PC players; these days, they buy nearly all of their games – 98% – as downloads. Last year, that figure was already 97%. Consoles are a different story, though. Most console players prefer to buy games on physical media. The majority of console games – 60% – are still purchased as physical media, even though that figure has dropped by 3% points compared to last year.
The way in which video game players purchase games is also a question of age. The younger generation of players in Germany overwhelmingly opt for downloads. And this trend is particularly strong among players between the ages of 20 and 29: they buy more than 7 out of 10 PC or console games (71%) in this format. But these days, growing numbers of older players are starting to prefer downloads, as well. Among 50- to 59-year-olds, approximately 6 out of 10 games (59%) are purchased as downloads; last year, this group bought about 53% of their games on physical media. Physical copies are most popular among the over-60s. In 2023, they bought more than half their games (53%) on physical media. However, this figure also represented a decline of 12% points in sales of physical media among this group.
“We’re seeing a clear trend: downloads are becoming an established way of buying games, and their share of the games market is continually increasing, even though that growth has slowed a bit since the pandemic. For many people, downloads are a quick and convenient way to buy games. Last year, a number of big blockbuster games, like ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ and ‘Alan Wake II’, were initially released as digital exclusives. Plenty of successful indie games have been download-only for ages, as well. All these factors have given the popularity of downloads a massive boost. But how games are purchased still varies according to the age of the player and the type of platform. Video game players primarily buy their console games on physical media, to get the limited editions and fan merchandise that come with them, or to ensure that they always have a copy of the game in their collection,” Felix Falk, Managing Director of game, said.
The post Buying Games as Downloads is More Popular Than Ever in Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Slower workforce growth and fewer new companies: the upward trend in the German games industry is weakening
• Number of German game companies grows by 4 per cent in twelve months
• Slowed growth pace: employment figures at developers and publishers up 3.5 per cent
• German games industry plus extended game labour market provides more than 30,000 jobs
The strong upward trend seen in the German games industry in recent years is now weakening significantly. After registering 15 per cent growth a year ago, the number of game companies increased by just 4 per cent in the past twelve months, to a total of 948 companies developing and publishing computer and video games in Germany. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. In particular, the number of companies that exclusively develop games is rising, with 6 per cent growth in the past year bringing the figure to 477 currently. A further 52 companies in Germany specialise exclusively in publishing video games and 419 are active in both game development and publishing. This amounts to a 52 per cent overall increase in the number of game companies in Germany since 2020.
Employee numbers at German game companies showed continued growth, but at only half the pace of the previous year. The number of employees at game development studios and publishers rose to 12,408 over the past twelve months, up around 3.5 per cent from last year’s figure of 11,992. This compares with 7 per cent growth recorded from 2022 to 2023. At first glance, the weakened yet still positive trend appears contradictory against the backdrop of the current overall decline in investment momentum and major waves of consolidation in the international games industry. While the current consolidation wave has indeed affected German game companies, its impact here has been less pronounced than in general internationally. One reason for this is that many game companies in Germany are currently still in the midst of projects made possible by federal games funding, which has served as a stabilising factor for the industry as a whole. In addition to the workforce in publishing and development, an estimated further 20,000 people are employed in the area of games. The games industry thus provides jobs for over 30,000 people in Germany, including skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
‘Games funding plays a decisive role in this. Although the on-going application freeze for the federal games funding has hampered the development of new projects for over a year now, the fact that many German studios were still in the middle of federally funded projects gave them stability. However, if the German government doesn’t ensure funding budgets at an internationally comparable level soon, the prospects for game companies will be all the more unclear. Along with the consolidation wave,’ he continues, ‘the current unpredictable and non-competitive framework conditions in Germany have now slowed the strong growth of recent years. The German government must finally make the promised funds available and return to the path of an ambitious policy of single-source game funding, as it announced in its latest growth initiative.’
About the data:
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 14 June 2024.
The post Slower workforce growth and fewer new companies: the upward trend in the German games industry is weakening appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
MightyTips has announced a brand-new partnership with Merkur Bets targeting German-speaking bettors across Germany.
The move aims to expand the customer base for Merkur Bets, which is striving to build its position as a leading player in several Central European countries.
The exclusive partnership with the MightyTips platform – a tips and predictions hub – is hoped to boost acquisition rates in the region ahead of what is likely to be a busy conclusion to the summer.
The Olympics, the new Bundesliga and Premier League season, and other major sporting events are to take centre stage, with more people than ever engaging with sports betting.
After ten years of operating as XTiP, a recent rebranding means it is now known as Merkur Bets. The sports betting experience has been modernised, as the website now provides an updated design, faster loading times, and enhanced user-friendly navigation.
The change was announced by operators Merkur Group earlier in the year and included a fresh logo and redesigned aesthetics across both its online and physical outlets.
Stefan Bruns, CEO of Online Gambling and Sports Betting at Merkur Group, cited it as a new beginning for the company: “The renaming of XTiP to Merkur Bets is not only a new beginning, it also offers the opportunity to establish a completely renewed approach to sports betting within the Merkur Group.”
Since 2013, Merkur Group has been one of the leading operators in Germany. Its origins stretch back to 1957, when it was founded as a family-owned business by Paul Gauselmann.
Eugene Ravdin, MightyTips Communications and Marketing Manager said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Merkur Bets. They are one of the biggest betting companies in Europe and our services can further solidify their reputation as a leading player in this sector.”
Martin Collins, Head of Affiliates at Merkur Group added: “We are very pleased to continue our work with the MightyTips team. Both sides bring great knowledge to the table for our core markets, and we look forward to a long-term beneficial partnership.”
The post MightyTips announces collaboration agreement with Merkur Bets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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