2015
Company
Documents about 2015
Games from Germany: Market Share Remains Stubbornly Low
German-developed games captured just 6.4 per cent of computer and video game sales in Germany in 2016, according to figures released by the BIU, the German Games Industry Association, on 21 September 2017 alongside its first consolidated Annual Report of the Computer and Video Games Industry.
- The total market share of German-developed games fell to 6.4% in 2016, down from 7% in 2014 and 6.5% in 2015.
- German developers’ market share for smartphone and tablet games experienced a significant decline, dropping from 7% in 2015 to 4.2% in 2016.
- In the PC and console segment, which represents the largest portion of the market, the German-developed share fell from 0.6% to 0.5% in 2016.
The Story of Transformice: An Indie Game with 70 Million Players
Transformice emerged from a brief three-week prototype to become a global phenomenon, ultimately attracting 70 million players through viral growth, extensive localization, and consistent seasonal engagement.
- Transformice grew from a three-week prototype to a global title with 70 million players, primarily through viral growth and extensive localization.
- A sudden Google AdSense ban forced a pivot to a free-to-play, cosmetic-focused monetization model, which generated over $1 million in microtransactions within six months.
- The studio remains a 'one-game studio' with 99% of its total revenue derived from Transformice, as subsequent releases have failed to replicate its initial success.
EA Mobile: Can the Giant Climb to the Top?
EA Mobile has grown into a slowly expanding billion-dollar business since 2015, yet it has not broken into the top 10 mobile publishers and underperforms its potential.
- EA Mobile has failed to break into the top 10 global mobile publishers, despite its significant resources and IP portfolio, because it relies on a console-style release model rather than the mobile-first strategy of continuous live operations.
- EA's mobile download growth has stagnated, with 2017 projected to be the first year of year-on-year decline due to a lack of new free-to-play releases in the first half of the year compared to six launches in the same period of 2016.
- While 2016 revenue grew by over 33% driven by 'Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes' and 'Madden Mobile', growth slowed in early 2017 as major titles like 'Plants vs. Zombies Heroes' and 'FIFA Mobile' failed to meet performance expectations.
2017 CESA Games White Paper
The 2017 CESA Games White Paper is the annual report on Japan's console game industry, published by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association on July 24, 2017.
- The Japanese domestic home video game market (hardware and packaged software) totaled 314.7 billion yen in 2016, with an additional 7.9 billion yen in the digital download software market.
- The global home video game market, covering both hardware and software, was estimated at 2.5794 trillion yen in 2016.
- The Japanese domestic market for smart device game applications reached 1.1699 trillion yen, with China currently holding the largest market share globally and Japan ranking second.
HBO's Streaming Apps Set Download Records for Game of Thrones Premiere
HBO's two streaming apps, HBO GO and HBO NOW, set single-day U.S. install records on July 16, 2017, the premiere of Game of Thrones season seven.
- The July 16, 2017, premiere of Game of Thrones Season 7 drove record-breaking mobile app installs for HBO, reaching approximately 222,000 combined downloads on the App Store and Google Play.
- The premiere day set a new single-day record for HBO GO and HBO NOW, representing a 14% increase over the previous record of 195,000 installs set during the Season 6 debut on April 24, 2016.
- HBO NOW saw a 14% increase in daily installs to 171,000, while HBO GO installs grew by 11% to reach 51,000.
Gamers Are Spending More on Fee-Based Online Networks
Paid memberships for online gaming networks such as EA Access, PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold are gaining traction among German players, according to a July 2017 release from the BIU (the German Games Industry Association, now branded game) drawing on GfK market data.
- Sales for fee-based online gaming networks in Germany grew by 48% year-over-year, rising from 77 million euros in 2015 to 114 million euros in 2016.
- The total German market for computer and video games surpassed the two-billion-euro mark for the first time in 2016, reaching 2.13 billion euros—a 7% increase over 2015.
- Gamers aged 20–29 represent the largest demographic for paid network memberships, accounting for 34% of the user base.
Essential Video Game News: Market, Consumption, Use 2017
The French video game market experienced significant growth in 2016, expanding by 4% to €3.46 billion, with a projected 14% increase in 2017, reaching €3.82 billion.
- The French video game market reached a valuation of 3.46 billion euros in 2016, followed by a 14% growth rate in early 2017.
- Gaming has achieved mass-market status in France, with 52% of the population identifying as regular gamers and an average player age exceeding 30.
- Digital platforms account for 58% of game transactions, while physical retail remains the dominant channel for families and younger demographics.
Cataluña se Consolida como el Motor de la Industria Española del Videojuego
Catalonia is presented as the driving force of the Spanish video game industry in the first edition of the Libro Blanco de la Industria Catalana del Videojuego, unveiled in Barcelona on 27 June 2017 during the third ENTI-UB DemoDay.
- Cataluña accounts for 25% of the Spanish video game industry, comprising 120 companies and generating over 40% of the national sector's total revenue.
- The Catalan video game industry generated 217 million euros in revenue in 2015, with projections to exceed 600 million euros by 2019.
- The sector employs 1,687 professionals directly, with a total of over 3,000 jobs linked to the industry, and is projected to surpass 4,600 direct jobs by 2019.
Gamers Are Increasingly Buying Additional Content for Segments Such as Free-to-Play Games: Germany
The German market for free-to-play games and in-game purchases expanded sharply in 2016, according to figures released by the BIU (the German Games Industry Association) on 27 June 2017.
- The German market for virtual goods and additional content in games grew by 17% in 2016, reaching a total revenue of 659 million euros.
- The number of paying users for in-game content in Germany increased from 3.3 million in 2015 to 3.9 million in 2016.
- Average monthly spending per paying user rose from 12.02 euros in 2015 to 13.57 euros in 2016.
Llibre Blanc de la Indústria Catalana del Videojoc 2016
The "Llibre Blanc de la Indústria Catalana del Videojoc 2016" provides a comprehensive analysis of the Catalan video game industry, aiming to map its current state, identify growth opportunities, and propose strategies for future development.
- The Catalan video game industry is a dominant national force, accounting for 25 percent of Spanish companies and 42 percent of total national revenue.
- As of 2015, the sector comprised 120 firms generating €217 million in annual revenue, with 72 percent of earnings derived from international markets.
- Industry projections for 2019 target significant expansion, aiming for over €600 million in annual revenue and 4,600 direct jobs.
Procedural Attack! Procedural Generation for Populated Virtual Cities: A Survey
Procedural content generation serves as a critical framework for the rapid development of complex, populated virtual cities, aiming to reduce production timelines from months to minutes.
- Procedural Content Generation (PCG) enables small teams to build vast virtual worlds in minutes rather than months, significantly reducing the high costs associated with manual asset creation seen in large-scale productions like Grand Theft Auto V.
- Core procedural techniques for city infrastructure include shape grammars (e.g., CGA shape), L-systems, and markup languages, which allow for the automated generation of complex street maps and thousands of buildings at the push of a button.
- The 'WaveFunctionCollapse' algorithm is a key trend for city generation because it supports constraints, allowing it to be combined with manual design to create mixed-initiative tools that assist users in shaping environments.
Average Age of German Gamers Continues to Increase
The average age of computer and video gamers in Germany has risen to 35.5 years, up 4.5 years from 31 in 2011.
- The average age of German gamers rose to 35.5 years in 2017, up from 31 years in 2011.
- The 50+ age group is the largest segment of the German gaming population, growing by half a million people in one year to reach 8.7 million total players.
- Approximately 34.1 million people in Germany play computer and video games, representing 46% of the total population.