Electronic games are becoming more and more popular in Germany. According to the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (BIU) the market for entertainment software grew by 7.4% in 2006 and this in spite of the competition posed by the Football World Cup. Total turnover for computer and video games amounted to 1.126 billion Euros in 2006, whereas in 2005 this figure was just 1.049 billion Euros.
Despite the advent of a new paddle generation the turnover in video games grew by 13% to 652.6 million Euros (2005: 577.5 Millionen Euro). With 473.4 million Euros the turnover in computer games remained virtually unchanged as compared to 471.3 million in 2005. There was strong growth as regards the software for handheld appliances. Here turnover increased by 58% from 120 million Euros in 2005 to 190 million Euros in 2006.
For 2007 the BIU forecasts another rise in turnover. The new paddle generation is set to make this market expand further. The market for personal computers is expected to remain stabile. A market data summary is available online. 