Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software

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The Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU) e. V. was from 2005 to 2018, based in Berlin, the association of manufacturers and publishers of computer games in Germany and the provider of the industry network BIU.Dev and BIU.Net. A total of up to 29 members were organized in the BIU, representing over 85 percent of the German computer and video game market. The members of the BIU were 100 percent developers and providers of digital games. They were responsible for almost 50 percent of jobs in the German games industry. Over half of the BIU members developed in Germany themselves. The BIU acted in the interests of its members, among other things, as a political interest group and as a contact for the media or social institutions.

Goals and story

The BIU was founded on April 7, 2005 in Frankfurt after the dissolution of the Association of Entertainment Software Germany (VUD) . The BIU cited communication with the public via computer and video games, the development of measures to promote media literacy as well as the protection of children and young people and the fight against software piracy as fundamental goals . In addition, institutions in the fight against software piracy, such as the Society for the Prosecution of Copyright Infringements (GVU) or the Business Software Alliance (BSA), should be actively supported.

The BIU was from its inception 2005-2008 support the Games Convention in Leipzig , from 2009 he was a co-organizer and conceptual sponsor of the Koelnmesse aligned gamescom . Between 2009 and 2018, the BIU and the GAME Federation of the German Games Industry supported the German Computer Game Prize awarded by the German Bundestag . The BIU and the other game associations contributed half of the prize money. The BIU was also a partner in the entertainment software self-regulation (USK).

A planned merger with the developer association GAME in 2013 was canceled at the beginning of 2014 because both sides could not agree on the future structure.

On January 29, 2018, the two previous industry associations, Bundesverband Interactive Entertainment Software and GAME - Federal Association of the German Games Industry, merged to form one association. Since then, under the name game - Association of the German Games Industry , a joint association has represented the interests of the German games industry.

Industry network BIU.Dev and BIU.Net

With its Germany-wide industry network BIU.Dev and BIU.Net , the BIU offered a platform for participation and participation that was intended to strengthen Germany as a developer location. The network should strengthen existing initiatives and bundle them sensibly so that Germany's international competitiveness should be increased and production budgets of all sizes should be invested in Germany and in German developer teams.

The network platform BIU.Dev was aimed at game developers , while BIU.Net stood for all other players in the games industry, in particular scientists and universities , service providers , agencies , freelancers and investors . In July 2017, there were over 140 members of BIU.Dev and BIU.Net.

Members and Board of Directors

In October 2017, the BIU had 29 members:

The three-person executive board was composed as follows (as of June 2016):

  • Tobias Haar, member of the management of the Gameforge group
  • Ralf Wirsing, Managing Director of Ubisoft GmbH
  • Michael Zillmer, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of InnoGames GmbH

Executive Director:

  • Olaf Wolters , media lawyer (until September 30, 2011)
  • Maximilian Schenk (from December 1, 2011 to January 15, 2017)
  • Felix Falk (since January 1, 2017)

Other associations in the field of video and computer games

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): Association of developers and providers of digital games. (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016 ; accessed on October 11, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  2. ↑ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): gamescom. (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  3. ↑ Drakensang big winner at the German Computer Game Award
  4. ↑ USK: About us. In: www.usk.de. Retrieved April 15, 2016 .
  5. ↑ heise.de: Games industry: Wedding of the leading associations canceled , February 7, 2014
  6. ↑ Petra Fröhlich : Game Association: Industry associations BIU and GAME merge. In: GamesWirtschaft.de. FUNFAIR MEDIA, January 29, 2018, accessed March 20, 2018 .
  7. ↑ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): What are BIU.Dev and BIU.Net? (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  8. ↑ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): What are BIU.Dev and BIU.Net? (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  9. ^ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): Members of BIU.Dev. (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  10. ^ BIU eV (Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software): Members of BIU.Net. (No longer available online.) In: www.biu-online.de. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016 ; accessed on April 15, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.biu-online.de
  11. ^ BIU members
  12. ↑ GamesMarkt | News | Black Forest Games joins the BIU. Retrieved October 9, 2017 .
  13. ↑ BIU Board of Directors