What games come to mind first when you think of game studios in Germany? Most likely Far Cry and Crysis, both released by the German game studio Crytek. It is also the creator of the CryEngine game engine, the first engine to use the PolyBump tool, which is based on bump mapping technology. You may have heard of Deck13 as well. Their role-playing game Lords of the Fallen was voted Best German Game of 2015 by the jury at the 2015 Computer Game Awards. However, it is no longer a German studio – In June 2020, the French company Focus Home Interactive acquired Deck13 for 7.1 million euros.
Germany is also known for Gamescom – an international exhibition of video games, which is held annually in the German city of Cologne, at the Köln Messe exhibition center. The event is aimed at people with a view to video games: consumers, fans, publishers, journalists and trade professionals. The exhibition is also used by many video game developers to showcase upcoming games and gaming equipment. Gamescom is the world’s first largest gaming event in terms of exhibition space and number of visitors, as well as the largest gaming news fair of the year in Europe. In 2018, it had a total of 370,000 visitors and 1,037 exhibitors from 56 countries.
Advantages of Choosing Video Game Companies in Germany
Despite the fact that, unlike the USA or Japan, the share of games released in Germany is relatively low, there are still game outsourcing studios here. There are not as many of them as in Eastern Europe, since Germany is quite expensive for employers, and the cost of production is much higher here. On the other hand, Germany offers qualified professionals good working conditions and a health care system, in other words, attracts them with its high quality of life.
The market for mobile and browser games is by far the strongest in terms of sales in Germany. Three of the four largest video game studios in Germany are focused on developing such games. This is not a region where you get lost among the assortment of AAA developers, but it is possible to find good game development companies in Germany.
We offer you a list of 7 gaming companies in Germany that can be useful to you in your gaming projects.
Gaming Companies in Germany
Kevuru Games
Kevuru Games is a game studio with offices in the USA and Ukraine with a ten-year history and a large staff of specialists offering full-cycle development services or customized gaming services. You can also find separate services: creating 2D and 3D graphics and animation, programming, testing, game design, interface design and sound design, as well as gamification services – adding a game element to a non-gaming environment.
In addition to an integrated approach and seasoned staff, 60% of whom are top-level specialists, the studio boasts a huge client pool in Germany. Game studios are actively turning to Kevuru Games for individual tasks, as well as for the full cycle of game development from scratch. Among the famous clients of the studio are such world giants as EA, Epic Games, Lucasfilm and others.
Private Division
Private Division is an American publisher of independent computer games. The company is headquartered in New York with offices in Seattle and Munich. The studio is a division of Take-Two Interactive Software dedicated to working with independent video game studios that are midway between AAA games from large studios and indie games from new or smaller studios.
It stands out from other video game studios in Germany for enabling independent game studios to develop games while providing the support they need to make their games commercially successful on a global scale.
Nurogames
Nurogames is an independent German game and software development company founded in 2006 in Cologne. The studio covers the entire game development pipeline – from the initial idea to the final product – for all major mobile, web, PC, consoles, VR, AR and XR platforms.
Other areas of expertise include e-learning game development, game-based e-learning solutions, and social media service integration. The studio’s main specialization is virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for the gaming, social and educational spheres.
Klang Games
Another representative of gaming companies in Germany, Klang Games is developing next generation games. The company started with three like-minded people with different work experience who share a similar passion for gaming and creating something special.
The first project of Klang Games was ReRunners: Race for the World for iOS and Android devices, which was well received by the gaming press and the gaming community. The company strives to create sustainable products by providing a unique gaming experience, using innovative technologies, developing distinctive art styles and designs, and creating valuable communities.
Yager
A true veteran of German gaming companies, Yager is an independent video game developer based in Berlin. The studio’s most famous project is the third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line, which won the 2012 Inside Gaming Awards for Best Story from Machinima.com. The studio also worked with Deep Silver on Dead Island 2.
In 2021, Tencent Holdings, which previously invested in Yager Development as a minority shareholder, increased its stake in Yager by acquiring a controlling stake. Now the studio specializes in creating multi-platform AAA action games for a global audience.
Travian Games
Travian Games GmbH, headquartered in Munich, is one of the world’s leading providers of online games. Travian Games also acts as an international publisher for selected games. The studio is currently marketed with seven live products: Travian: Legends, Travian Kingdoms, Rail Nation, Miramagia, goalunited LEGENDS, Shroud of the Avatar, and UnitedGP.
Products from the Travian Games portfolio are available in over 200 countries around the world and translated into 42 languages. Thus, the company can reach over 150 million registered and verified users worldwide. Travian Games GmbH products have also won numerous awards.
Goodgame Studios
Despite the fact that Goodgame Studios is now owned by the Sweden-based company Stillfront Group that specializes in the acquisition and management of mobile and browser game studios, it remains a legendary online game developer founded in 2009 in Hamburg. The most popular products are Goodgame Empire and Goodgame Big Farm, for which the studio received animation assistance from Kevuru Games.
The specificity of mobile and browser games from Goodgame Studios is that they are distributed free of charge to over 500 million players around the world. Prior to the acquisition, the studio had independently produced its games and, with a rich talent pool from over 40 countries, was one of the largest German employers in the gaming software industry.
How to Choose the Most Reliable Partner?
If you are interested in German gaming companies, the above list might come in handy. Keep in mind that each studio has its strengths, genres with which it has more experience, as well as different teams of specialists with different levels of professionalism.
Always start from the presence of the required service in the list of services of a potential partner and a portfolio confirming this expertise. Feedback from previous clients can also be useful: often not only the positive aspects are indicated, but also the problems that the client encountered in the process of cooperation.
Conclusions
The Kevuru Games game studio remains a versatile option for any gaming task. Even though it doesn’t yet have a German division, a large number of German studios have collaborated with it on art and development issues. Here you will find all game development services you need to create a game: art and animation creation, game design, development, interface design, testing, sound design, etc. Kevuru Games is also engaged in gamification and already has several successful cases in this area.
High quality, versatile team and German-style diligence distinguish this studio from others, and the full coverage of gaming services allows you to entrust it with any task up to the full cycle of creating a game from scratch.
