One billion Euros earned with free game

Eleven years after its initial release, the video game "Forge of Empires" from Hamburg-based developer Innogames has passed the one billion euro mark in sales. 

The game, which is about following your own civilization from the Stone Age to an age of space travel, is actually accessible for free.

However, it earns money on the one hand with the sale of virtual goods and in-game benefits, and on the other hand with advertising. 

At the moment, according to Innogames, the game has more than 130 million players around the world.

"Forge of Empires" earned the most money with players from the United States. They contributed 36 percent of sales from 2012 to 2022, while the home market of Germany accounted for 19 percent. 

At the same time, it appears that the more loyal players are also spending more money. The share of players who had been active for more than 3 years in 2022 comprises 34 percent.

80 billion dollars with free games 

The most loyal gamer has spent 16,000 hours or the equivalent of about 1.8 years of pure play time in the game. 

The free-to-play market accounts for a large portion of total gaming revenue and is currently estimated at over $80 billion annually. 

In contrast, the 1 billion euros spread over ten years is admittedly small. Money flows to Germany and Sweden But if you add to that the roughly 

nine billion euros in revenue generated in the sector in Germany last year, the performance of a single game from Germany seems even greater - especially since only a small percentage of all revenue from video games remains here in Germany.

Nevertheless, part of Innogames' earnings also goes to Sweden. This is because the Hamburg-based studio is part of the Swedish video game umbrella company Modern Times Group (MTG). 

The group focuses primarily on free games in various genres. Another Innogames game, "The Tribes," has earned just over 180 million euros after twenty years in existence. 

"Forge of Empires," meanwhile, is Innogames' and MTG's most lucrative title.

Source: www.faz.net