Germany is one of the countries with the fastest-growing esports scene.
In 2018, esports generated 62.5 million euros in revenue for the country. This figure shows an increase of 22% year-over-year. On a European scale, Germany serves as the leading market for esports, far ahead of the United Kingdom (24 million euros) and France (21 million). Globally, the United States (191 million), South Korea (158 million), and China (130 million) remain the undisputed leaders.
This potential revenue of esports in Germany is huge, and many related activities thrive across the country. Esports professionals have their own official status, esports enthusiasts can earn money betting at casinospiele, and major organizations represent Germany on the worldwide esports scene.
Germany is setting up a dedicated esports visa for professional players who are not from the European Union
Late 2019, Germany stepped up as a leader in the European esports scene by introducing a dedicated visa for esports professionals. Anyone actively working in the field of esports can apply for this visa, which speeds up the approval process to come and play in Germany. It was made especially for non-European professionals, who are often bound to wait weeks or months for the authorization to stay in the country for the duration of their contract.
Esports professionals applying to this visa must:
- Be at least 16 years old
- Be under contract with an esport organization
- Be able to prove a certain salary/source of fixed income
- Have confirmation of their professional activity from the German esport federation
This dedicated esports visa eases the development of the German esport scene. Teams can welcome players and staff from both European and non-European countries. The process also helps the organization of tournaments, as all teams can come and stay in Germany more easily.
Germany is home to major esports organizations
If Germany is leading esports in Europe, it is in part due to the major esports organization established in the country. The oldest European esport organization still in activities is German. With teams on League of Legends, FIFA, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and NBA 2K, SK Gaming is leading the way for esports in Germany.
Germany saw the rise of G2 Esports, an organization that now has teams on Valorant, League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, and Fortnite.
Alternate aTTaX, another German organization, is mainly performing on the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. If the team showed good results by winning the WSBG 2006 and ESWC 2016, Alternate aTTaX is mainly playing B-Tier tournaments since 2019.
Mousesports is also a popular German esport organization. It is home to teams on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Warcraft III, as well as individual talents on StarCraft II, FIFA, and Street Fighter V.
With popular teams, international video games tradeshows like the Gamescom, and the official recognition of esports as a professional activity, Germany enables gamers to fulfill their dreams of going pro.
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