Connect with us
MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024

gaming

EUROPE’S VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY PUBLISHES ANNUAL KEY FACTS REPORT: AUTHORITATIVE DATA ON THE SECTOR FOR 2020

Published

on

Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

Ahead of the world’s biggest online video games event, gamescom, on 25-28 August, and following an unprecedented year of challenges, ISFE (Interactive Software Federation of Europe), and EGDF (European Games Developer Federation) publish their first collaborative set of “Key Facts”. The report represents the pooling of European industry data, from the smallest European studios to the biggest companies, creating the most concise and complete picture of Europe’s video games sector to date.

ISFE Chair Olaf Coenen said: “There’s no doubting the challenges we have all faced during the global pandemic but our industry has been uniquely positioned to support society by connecting people whilst they were physically apart. We have provided vital points of social connection and interaction, provided entertainment, distraction and much needed escapism. We have helped keep our players mentally and physically well, supported education initiatives, leveraged our reach to communicate public health messaging and made financial contributions to relief funds. All the while, we have remained unfailing in our efforts to drive progress in diversity, support the global environmental agenda and maintain our commitment to responsible gameplay and child safety.  In so many ways we have been able to bring people together and highlight the depth to which video games can be a force for good.”

EGDF President Hendrik Lesser said: During 2020 the games industry went through one of the biggest transformations in its recent history. Onsite meetings, developer gatherings and conferences suddenly took a big shift towards remote work that brought completely new management and mental health difficulties. Especially early-stage entrepreneurs faced new challenges that were endangering the future of their companies. 

Advertisement

“Now in 2021, I’m incredibly proud of what our industry as a whole has been able to overcome. We demonstrated that, despite these difficulties, we are not only among the most pandemic-resistant sectors in our society but even managed to thrive greatly and are now well-positioned to be a driving force in Europe’s economic recovery.”

 

Key Facts 2021 highlights

 

  • Revenue in the whole of the EU and the UK is €23.3bn (€17.6bn in the key European markets surveyed by GameTrack (IPSOS MORI))
  • European revenue grew by 22% compared to 18% in 2017, 15% in 2018 and 3% in 2019
  • Consoles continue to drive a large part of total revenues (accounting for 44%). Digital revenues continue to grow, representing 80% of total revenue (76% in 2019)
  • More than 50% of Europeans aged 6-64 play video games.  The average age of video game players in the EU is 31 years old and the fastest growing age group is 45-64
  • During the pandemic, the esports audience grew by 9.82%         
  • Women account for 47% of video game players in the EU
  • The sector provides 86,953 jobs across Europe[1]
  • Average weekly video game playtime increased during lockdowns but reverted to pre-pandemic averages when restrictions eased
  • ISFE has become a corporate ambassador of Women In Games and joined the United Nations-facilitated Playing for the Planet Alliance
  • Pan-European self and co-regulation for minor protection: 38 countries in Europe use the PEGI age rating and descriptor system for video games and we now have 14 national consumer education programmes in place across Europe to raise awareness of PEGI, parental control tools and responsible gameplay
  • 97% of parents of video gameplaying children monitor their children’s in-game spending

           (2019 data)

 

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

gaming

Flexion and Kabam Team Up to Bring Marvel Contest of Champions to the Alternative App Stores

Published

on

flexion-and-kabam-team-up-to-bring-marvel-contest-of-champions-to-the-alternative-app-stores
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

Flexion, the games marketing company, and Kabam, one of the world’s leading game developers, announced a new partnership to bring Marvel Contest of Champions to alternative app stores. Flexion will distribute the game on the Amazon Appstore, Aptoide, ONE store, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Digital Turbine Hubs in 2024.

“We are excited to partner with Flexion to bring Marvel Contest of Champions to even more players. Flexion’s expertise, experience and technology make them the ideal partner for us. This collaboration will help us reach new audiences by making Marvel Contest of Champions available on even more app stores. This is especially exciting ahead of the game’s upcoming 10-year anniversary,” SeungWon Lee, CEO of Kabam, said.

“We are delighted to partner with Kabam, one of the world’s leading game developers, to bring their hit game to more players around the globe. This partnership is a win for Kabam and the app stores, which we will connect to drive audience engagement,” Jens Lauritzson, CEO of Flexion, said.

Advertisement

Marvel Contest of Champions is an epic fighting RPG with over 260 iconic Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains in the ultimate cosmic showdown. Players can collect and build a competitive team of Champions, compete against the world’s top Summoners, battle through an epic and deep Marvel story, and team up with powerful Summoners in alliances to become the Ultimate Marvel Champion.

“We’re delighted to add such a well-known and successful game like Marvel Contest of Champions to our portfolio. I am very positive about the growth potential of these alternative stores in 2024. There is no better time to expand to more audiences,” Jens added.

Marvel Contest of Champions will be available on the Amazon Appstore, Samsung Galaxy Store, Aptoide, and ONEstore Korea starting on April 29, 2024, with Samsung Gaming Hub, OneStore Global, and DT Games Hub following in the near future.

The post Flexion and Kabam Team Up to Bring Marvel Contest of Champions to the Alternative App Stores appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

gaming

The German Games Industry Association congratulates all winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2024

Published

on

the-german-games-industry-association-congratulates-all-winners-of-the-german-computer-game-awards-2024
Reading Time: 3 minutes

 

• “EVERSPACE 2” by ROCKFISH Games is ‘Best German Game’ 2024
• Pixel Maniacs from Nuremberg wins in the ‘Studio of the Year’ category
• ‘Best International Game’ is Baldur’s Gate 3
• ‘Player of the Year’ is Maurice Weber

High-quality games, great entertainment and many well-known personalities from the games industry and the cultural, societal and political spheres – the German Computer Game Awards 2024 (DCP), presented this evening in Munich, featured all that and more. Numerous guests celebrated the best games from Germany and the creative minds behind them in person at Eisbach Studios in Munich. The award show, which was hosted by Katrin Bauerfeind and Uke Bosse, was additionally followed by hundreds of thousands of viewers via live stream. A total of 800,000 euros was awarded in cash prizes. “EVERSPACE 2” by ROCKFISH Games was chosen ‘Best German Game’. The ‘Studio of the Year’ award went to Pixel Maniacs from Nuremberg, which has made a name for itself with successful games like the party racing game “Can’t Drive This”, its multifaceted involvement in the game industry and its promotion of young talent, as well as with its innovations in the area of marketing. The ‘Special Jury Prize’ was awarded to the project “Gaming ohne Grenzen” (Gaming without Borders), an initiative that enables young people with disabilities to participate actively in game culture – for example, by assessing in inclusive game testing groups the accessibility of various games as well as the ability of certain technologies to help overcome barriers in video games. In voting by the community and the jury, Maurice Weber was selected ‘Player of the Year’. The games editor and Twitch streamer regularly analyses current developments in the games industry and takes a critical look at them, while at the same time formulating a clear stance for more diversity and against extremism in games and society.

The German Computer Game Awards, which honour the year’s best German-produced games, are hosted by the German Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and game – The German Games Industry Association.

Advertisement

‘Congratulations to all winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2024!’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Even in these very challenging times for many German firms in the industry, German games companies have created high-quality and successful games that have deservedly been honoured on the big stage of the DCP. Around half of these outstanding games were developed with the support of federal game funding. This once again demonstrates the potential that we can leverage when the underlying policy framework for game development in Germany provides for truly predictable and internationally competitive conditions – conditions that allow games from Germany to shine even more brightly all over the world and achieve even greater success on the national as well as international stage. We must make this our goal!’

Overview of all winners:
Best International Game (not endowed)

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

 

Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros)

Advertisement

EVERSPACE 2 (ROCKFISH Games)

 

The other nominees will each receive 30,000:

Atlas Fallen (Deck 13 Interactive/Focus Entertainment)
Fall of Porcupine (Critical Rabbit/Assemble Entertainment)

 

Advertisement

Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Spells & Secrets (Alchemist Interactive/rokaplay)

 

Newcomer Award – Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros)

Ad Infinitum (Hekate/NACON)

Advertisement

 

The other nominees will receive 25,000 euros each:

Fall of Porcupine (Critical Rabbit/Assemble Entertainment)
Lose CTRL (Play From Your Heart)

 

Newcomer Award – Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros)

Advertisement

Misgiven (Symmetry Break Studio)

 

The other nominees will receive 25,000 euros each:

Bloodletter (Katharina “Mikey” Müller, David Cafisso, Marvin Braun, Alica Schneider/Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin)
EcoGnomix (Lars Hinnerk Grevsmühl, Lars Eble, Bahy Nguyen, Marcel Zurawka, Alec Shae)
Footgun: Underground (Eduard Dobermann, Theo Lohmüller, Georg Nimke, Robert Pistea, Lukas Salewsky)
REPLICORE (Sarah Inés Roeder, Rody Nawezi, Leonhard Gläser, Maximilian Götz/ HAW Hamburg)

 

Advertisement

Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Marble Maze (Fox-Assembly)

 

Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Friedrich Ebert – Der Weg zur Demokratie (Playing History/Stiftung Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte)

Advertisement

 

Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Ad Infinitum (Hekate/NACON)

 

Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Advertisement

Lose CTRL (Play From Your Heart)

 

Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

The Bear – A Story from the World of Gra (Mucks! Games)

Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Advertisement

Cat Rescue Story (Tivola Games)

 

Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)

Ad Infinitum (Hekate/NACON)

 

Advertisement

Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)

Pixel Maniacs

 

Player of the Year (not endowed)

Maurice Weber

Advertisement

 

Special Jury Award (endowed with 10,000 euros)

Gaming ohne Grenzen

The post The German Games Industry Association congratulates all winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

gaming

World’s Best Teams to Compete in UK’s First Professional Women’s VALORANT Tournament in 2024, Red Bull Instalock

Published

on

world’s-best-teams-to-compete-in-uk’s-first-professional-women’s-valorant-tournament-in-2024,-red-bull-instalock
Reading Time: 2 minutes

 

The UK’s first professional women’s esports tournament of 2024, Red Bull Instalock, is set to take over the Bull Gaming Sphere in Shoreditch, London for two days of thrilling VALORANT action from April 20 to 21. Red Bull Instalock will invite four of the world’s best women’s VALORANT teams to battle it out to become inaugural champions.

Promising a thrilling experience for viewers worldwide, the invited teams list includes G2 Gozen, GIANTX, Karmine Corp and Shopify Rebellion. Boasting four of the best women’s VALORANT teams globally, Red Bull Instalock will be a must-watch for VALORANT fans.

The LAN tournament will be broadcast from London’s premier gaming and esports venue, the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in Shoreditch, which will be transformed to replicate the in-game atmosphere of the legendary VALORANT map “Icebox”.

Advertisement

A unique format will be deployed to shake up traditional team compositions. Each team will be required to use three duelists, the game’s dedicated offensive class, which will encourage aggressive plays while rewarding tactical expertise and clutch skills to promise viewers worldwide an exhilarating viewing experience.

The Semi-Finals on Saturday 20th will set the stage for a pulse-racing Final day on Sunday 21st. Red Bull Instalock will also host a one-of-a-kind exhibition match, featuring a star-studded cast of fan-favourite VALORANT creators.

Renowned British esports host, Yinsu Collins, will be headlining the broadcast, with commentary provided by Kieran “Kairo” Tulloch, Billie “BillieIDK” Purdie, Matt “Twiggy” Twigg, and Harry “Hazza” Chapman. British FNATIC content creator and partnered streamer Megan ‘Megsoundslikeegg’ Garner will host the creator showmatch on Sunday 21st.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Red Bull Player and member of G2 Gozen Michaela “mimi” Lintrup said: “It’s fantastic to see another event for women’s VALORANT come into play and Red Bull Instalock is another amazing step into making a really lively competitive scene. It’s also going to be great for fans, with the format twist bringing a really exciting and new edge to every matchup.”

Red Bull Instalock will be broadcast live on Red Bull’s Twitch and YouTube channels, featuring top talent from the UK and around the world.

Advertisement

AGON by AOC, a global leader in gaming monitors, returns to join the Red Bull Gaming universe once again as the official Monitor Partner for Red Bull Instalock. Bringing the event to life and providing cutting-edge hardware for the esports tournament, AGON by AOC is equipping the event with the AGON PRO AG254FG monitors, featuring a 360 Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time for the best in-game experience.

The post World’s Best Teams to Compete in UK’s First Professional Women’s VALORANT Tournament in 2024, Red Bull Instalock appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Continue Reading

Trending