A GUIDE TO THE GERMAN GAMES INDUSTRY

Tournaments, for example, are already broadcast on
the Pay TV channel Sky and from 2016 even on the
free-to-air channel Sport1. Traditional sports teams
like the German Bundesliga clubs FC Schalke 04 and
VfL Wolfsburg have also recognized the potential of
eSports, above all its enormous marketing potential;
they have their own teams today who compete in
"League of Legends" (FC Schalke 04) and "FIFA" (VfL
Wolfsburg).
A representative study by YouGov in 2016 revealed
that almost one in six internet users in Germany
has already watched an eSports match in their
lives, which amounts to as much as 11 million people,
with the rate for 16- to 24-year-olds being the highest
with 38%, followed by the 25- to 34-year-olds who
still account for 30% of the internet users. Also, 12
percent of all study participants watch such events
and broadcasts at least once a week and 19 percent
even several times a month.
Another indicator for the increasing importance
of eSports in Germany is Riot Games opening an office
in Berlin to hold the European Championships
(EU LCS) there. In 2014, Riot Games decided in favor
of the German capital since there is a large, active
scene of "League of Legends" players and fans, and
also with Berlin being in the heart of Europe, the
developer from California is hoping to attract other
European eSports fans to visit the tournaments, too.
125
100
75
50
25
0
Germany: eSports business revenue*
In million euros
150
CAGR
+27 %
50 70 90 110 130
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Note: * Includes the following sources of
revenue: sponsoring/advertising, premium
content, entrance fees & merchandizing.
Source: Deloitte
According to an analysis by Deloitte, eSports
is expected to generate a revenue of
130 million euros by the year 2020.
eSports in Germany
today can measure up
to traditional sports
events and easily fills
entire stadiums.
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