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NRW is Germany’s leading B2B hub and benefits from the current media hype surrounding Metaverse, which wants to bring XR out of the gaming niche and into the mainstream. According to the TH Köln study Cross Reality in Germany 2021, 380 XR companies, i.e. 35 per cent of those 1,353 operating in Germany, are based in NRW and currently still posting modest revenues, but all with a bright future – the industry gathered around the technologies of Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is young and optimistic about the future. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW has been backing digital games and interactive content for the past 12 years and recently increased the annual funding volume to 3.5 million euros.

Facts and figures

  • largest share of the XR sector nationwide with 380 companies (35 %)
  • largest B2B location in the German XR industry
  • attractive ecosystem with a pronounced games developer landscape
  • excellent research and training situation
  • numerous events and networking activities: gamescom, Places Festival, Metaverse Meetup, Immersive Hackathon
  • strong funding: for more than 12 years outstanding financial support from the Film- und Medienstiftung, from 2023 additional funding XR for serious games and gamification

More information:

XR in NRW
Funding of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: Digital Games and interactive content

Antonia Koop
CEO CobaldIED
As an XR innovator and developer, NRW offers us a great location for innovation, research and growth with institutions like the Cologne GameLab, TU Cologne and gamescom and a broad program of business support.
Timon Vielhaber
CEO World of VR
We deliberately moved to Cologne because the mix of established industrial companies, lots of creative young talent at the universities and an excellent awareness of tech startups can only be found here. Carnival and Kölsch beer are an unexpectedly nice side effect.
Jan Thiel
CEO & Creative Director NEONREAL
Düsseldorf is an ideal location for us, especially in terms of synergies and partners. The entire creative trade is concentrated here and we can find the right partner for every topic in the immediate vicinity. Short distances, an active digital scene and the courage to break new ground make NRW so valuable for us as creative content producers.
Thomas Riedel
Freelance tech journalist, the German Metaverse Podcast
The XR industry in NRW has everything it needs to influence the development of the Metaverse. If it focuses on its strengths and doesn't get distracted by the crypto apologists.
Alexander Obermüller
Managing Director EMEA VR Expert
VR Expert's central location in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of Germany's leading regions for media and innovation, gives us the opportunity to stay at the forefront of development and provide our customers with the latest technologies.