Germany Becomes Top European Game Market: UPDATED

[Andy Chalk]

Germany Becomes Top European Game Market: UPDATED

Despite the government-sponsored backlash against them, new data shows that Germany has surpassed the U.K. to become the top videogame market in Europe. (UPDATE: It turns out that data was incorrect and Germany, sadly, is still a bridesmaid.)

It seems a bit incongruous at first glance: Germany is generally seen as vaguely hostile toward videogames thanks in large part to strict rules regarding game content and, more recently, government efforts to Media Control GfK International [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92246-Germany-Moves-Closer-to-Violent-Videogame-Ban], it is now Europe's largest market for videogame sales.

The report comes on the heels of news that Germany is also the Wii Fit [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93652-Germany-Is-Number-One-in-Europe-for-Downloading-Games].

The biggest sales growth in Europe actually took place in Portugal, which enjoyed a 16 percent increase in sales volume, while the Swedish market grew by four percent and the Netherlands saw growth of 2.4 percent.

UPDATE: Wrong! It's unclear what exactly happened but the U.K.-based GfK Chart-Track has contacted GamesIndustry to say that the original press release, despite being confirmed in a follow-up, was written with "incorrect data," and that Germany is not a bigger videogame market than the U.K. after all. What is clear, however, is that this is the second time GfK has dropped the ball over the past two weeks, as previous data relating to sales figures in the U.K. were also brought into question by Nintendo.

Source: GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/germany-overtakes-uk-as-largest-euro-games-market]


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[Woodsey]

Haha, how is that even possible? They are complete, well, yano... when it comes to the content in games.

Very strange.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

And once again, Italy was nowhere to be seen.

*woosh*

 

[Captain Pancake]

I... I'm shocked. Germany, of all nations?

when was the last time they excelled at anything other than car manufacturing.

That being said, they've done remarkably well out of the recession, as has france.

 

[Sparrow]

Meh! When this recession ends, viva la England I say!

 

[DrunkWithPower]

I wonder where the Top Market goes with illegal stuff.

 

[Swaki]

WTF, i love Germany and go there as often as i can, but i where kinda hoping that Denmark would be on the top.

i shall never buy a game in Germany again.

aw man, even Sweden is mentioned, fellow Danes dig deep and we shall rise up the nerd statistics.

 

[Eleuthera]

Really I would have thought Germany to be the largest market in Europe in just about anything. Having about 20 million inhabitants more than France or Britain.

 

[Spygon]

I feel this is the start of the end in the UK market.With this sign of our sales slipping and the price hike i feel sales are going to go out the window but it wont be my problem as i hope this causes all the companies who have turned on us with there price hike to panic a bit. As nothing get a game publishers attention than a drop of sales in a certain market.

 

[Woodsey]

I feel this is the start of the end in the UK market.With this sign of our sales slipping and the price hike i feel sales are going to go out the window but it wont be my problem as i hope this causes all the companies who have turned on us with there price hike to panic a bit. As nothing get a game publishers attention than a drop of sales in a certain market.

Actually I think, like the article says, the tumble was because of a lack of AAA titles. Which (hilariously ironically) have now nearly all moved into a spring 2010 release date to avoid the now non-existent Christmas games rush.

 

[Fat Hippo]

I... I'm shocked. Germany, of all nations?

when was the last time they excelled at anything other than car manufacturing.

Only things like Medicine, Engineering etc. You know, SCIENCE, ring a bell? Seriously, there's a reason they were kicking everyone's ass so long in WW2.

 

[KDR_11k]

WTF, i love Germany and go there as often as i can, but i where kinda hoping that Denmark would be on the top.

Just compare the population numbers, would be quite hard for Denmark to take #1.

Haha, how is that even possible? They are complete, well, yano... when it comes to the content in games.

The number of games that are so bad that they'd need to be toned down but whose developers don't do so is fairly small. It may have hurt the 360's early sales since several of its early major titles were too bad but their overall number was fairly small and most major games were unaffected.

Actually I think, like the article says, the tumble was because of a lack of AAA titles. Which (hilariously ironically) have now nearly all moved into a spring 2010 release date to avoid the now non-existent Christmas games rush.

Raises the question why Germany didn't suffer from the lack of AAA titles, the only major title I know of that's big in Germany but not elsewhere and was released in that period was Anno 1404 (PC, Wii, DS).

 

[Swaki]

WTF, i love Germany and go there as often as i can, but i where kinda hoping that Denmark would be on the top.

Just compare the population numbers, would be quite hard for Denmark to take #1.

not really, i suppose they view this from statistic point of view, (i dont know the reel numbers these are purely made up by me) like every German buy 6.8 games a year and danes only buy 3.7, if it where the other way around, then yes Germany would still sell far more games but we would be the strongest buy force (also an word made up by me)

edit : removed my comment from the [ quote ] [ /quote ]

 

[Spygon]

I feel this is the start of the end in the UK market.With this sign of our sales slipping and the price hike i feel sales are going to go out the window but it wont be my problem as i hope this causes all the companies who have turned on us with there price hike to panic a bit. As nothing get a game publishers attention than a drop of sales in a certain market.

Actually I think, like the article says, the tumble was because of a lack of AAA titles. Which (hilariously ironically) have now nearly all moved into a spring 2010 release date to avoid the now non-existent Christmas games rush.

I realised that sorry i didnt explain it very well.What i was trying to say was with the plummet of sales in the uk mixed with the price hike it will make the UK sales market a lot more competive hopefully forcing the game publishers to stop this price hike in its tracks.

 

[KDR_11k]

not really, i suppose they view this from statistic point of view, (i dont know the reel numbers these are purely made up by me) like every German buy 6.8 games a year and danes only buy 3.7, if it where the other way around, then yes Germany would still sell far more games but we would be the strongest buy force (also an word made up by me)

I'm pretty sure this is about absolute numbers because that's what companies care about.