Berlin Gaming Study

With nearly 140 businesses, Berlin is the city with the highest density of game companies in Germany. This is one of the outcomes of the study commissioned by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises on the computer and video games industry in Berlin. With a turnover of 250 million Euro, this sector is a highly productive and innovative industry.

Ramona Pop, Senator for Economics, says, "Berlin managed within a very short time to establish itself as one of the prime locations for the industry. We offer this industry a very good infrastructure, which is why Berlin has become more and more popular as a European location for globally operating companies. We would be delighted if we can attract more games companies to establish in Berlin and will therefore gladly support them in their establishment, networking and development."

Berlin is the seat of the German industry association, there are numerous educational institutions for the gaming industry, and with games:net the city has a very active industry network. Apart from the larger developer studios such as Wooga, Yager, King Digital, and Blue Byte, a subsidiary of the video game publisher Ubisoft, there is a multitude of smaller developer studios, employing 2,100 workers in total.

One characteristic of the Berlin industry is that many businesses not only develop games, but they also operate across multiple media channels and industries. Thus, with their expert knowledge in the field of virtual reality, augmented reality, app development and data analytics they are both drivers of innovation and an interface to the industry 4.0. Moreover, they are active both in the fields of marketing, advertising, film and education. They utilise 'serious games' and 'gamification' in particular for customers from the healthcare and education sectors. Furthermore, Berlin is increasingly developing into an international eSports location, which is one of the fastest growing sectors for the gaming industry.

The results of the survey offer a comprehensive view of the industry in Berlin. The survey was created by the Hamburg Media School based on an industry survey, and commissioned by the Berlin state initiative "Project Future", launched by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.