International Factfile 2016: Switzerland

The Swiss games industry had a turnover of 226m CHF (178m) in 2015, according to the latest report by the Swiss Interactive Entertainment Association (SIEA).

The market has declined by 7.6 per cent compared to 2014, due to a ‘rise in online sales’ (which are not included in the study).

The report revealed that 276,000 consoles were sold in the country in 2015, alongside 1.75m console games — that’s respectively an eight per cent and four per cent increase.

However, sales for handheld consoles have decreased by 23 per cent and PC games dipped by 28 per cent. These drops are due to the growing trend of online and smartphone gaming,” the SIEA explains.

The best-selling boxed game in the country last year was FIFA 2015. Grand Theft Auto V, Need for Speed, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Star Wars Battlefront, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Halo 5 were also amongst the most popular games of 2015 in Switzerland, the study further says.

SIEA president Peter Zger commented: The growing popularity of video games, from both children and adults, is reflected by the growing number of video games courses, events and shows in Switzerland. Video games culture will continue to grow in the coming years. We are very excited by this sector’s innovation power and by the thrilling gaming opportunities it represents.”

Population: 8,380,000

Capital City: Bern

Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF)

GDP (Per Capita): $85,373.8

KEY RETAILERS

GameStop, Softridge, Ex Libris, Wog.ch, Fnac, Mix-Image, Media Markt, Alcom.ch, Migros/Melectronics, Coin-Op.ch, Citydisc.ch, Cash Converters, Interdiscount, Toys R Us

TOP DISTRIBUTORS

ABC Distribution & Retail Solutions, BigBen Interactive, Gametime, Koch Media

TOP DEVELOPERS

Apelab, Bitforge, Bits & Beasts, Blindflug Studios, Colorbloks, Crown Adam, Digital Kingdom, Etter Studio, Everdream Soft, Gbanga, Giants Software, HeartQuake Studios, IF Games, Koboldgames, Mr. Whale’s Game Service, Sunnyside Games, Team Niche, Tourmaline, Urban Games

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION

Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, Warner Bros, EA, Activision Blizzard

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