He is a pioneer of the German gaming scene: as Managing Director of Ubisoft Blue Byte and Zone Managing Director, Benedikt Grindel is jointly responsible for the development of worldfamous games such as "The Settlers" and "Anno". He talks to VIVID editor Rainer Kunst about his fascination with gaming, his career moves, the importance of the gaming industry for the economy as a whole and the particular advantages of Düsseldorf as a business location.

What is so fascinating for you about gaming?
For one, just like with a good film or a good book, I can experience an exciting story by my own and fully immerse myself in it. However, there is also a strong social component due to the various ways you can play online with other people and solve challenges together. I believe that if games want to be successful in the long term, they need this social function above all else.

How important is it that people can assume other characters when gaming?
This is a very big part of it! It's a bit of a "larger than life moment". Compared to a book or film, there's also the interaction, which can make it even more authentic. More and more people are transferring this into real life: during cosplay, they dress up as characters, experiencing them live. The creativity and effort that goes into the costumes is sometimes very impressive, as you can see at Gamescom or at our own events, for example.

You've been with Ubisoft since 1998. Why did you start in what was then perhaps still a somewhat exotic gaming industry?
I saw a job at Ubisoft advertised online by chance and applied. I had also applied to an insurance company and had even been accepted - which my parents thought was great. However, I thought the gaming company was cooler, so after Ubisoft accepted my application, I went to Düsseldorf. I then marketed games in Germany for Ubisoft's English and American partners, i.e. classic product marketing with packaging design, adverts and so on. I then moved to a sister company in Business Development. This exciting task involved marketing mobile phone games via the major mobile phone providers.

ABOUT UBISOFT BLUE BYTE
With more than 35 years of experience, the German Ubisoft Studios are pioneers within the German games industry. Founded under the name of Blue Byte in 1988, the network now consists of three studios in Düsseldorf, Mainz and Berlin with the focus of developing high quality gaming experiences. The studio network is home to two famous city-builder / strategy games: Anno and The Settlers. The latest entry: Anno 117: Pax Romana is now in development at Ubisoft Mainz and will release in 2025. Co-development teams are supporting Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege in all three locations and worked recently on games such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR and Skull & Bones. Besides games the teams also work on a wide range of platforms, services and technologies including Ubisoft Connect and the Snowdrop engine.

In 2001, when Ubisoft took over the German developer Blue Byte, you moved into product development. How did this change come about?
Basically, someone was needed who knew Ubisoft well and could act as the link to the development experts at Blue Byte. I had never developed a game before, but I was allowed to apply myself, try things out and learn a lot. I found that totally motivating, especially as part of team with whom you have gone through thick and thin. During my years as a producer, I was responsible for a total of three major games and a few smaller ones. From 2011 onwards, I developed the Live Operations division - The Settlers online became our biggest success. And in 2014, I took over the management of the German studios.

How has Ubisoft Blue Byte developed in recent years?
In the early days of Blue Byte, the company`s focus was on the German market. The majority of sales were made there because strategy games were very popular and still are today. Other large gaming markets such as the USA, England and France started producing for the whole world much earlier than we did. It was therefore very important for our business to position ourselves more internationally in recent years. By making games from Germany more successful internationally on the one hand - and developing games for the global market on the other. To this end, we have intensified our collaboration with other Ubisoft development studios around the world and established additional teams in Germany. In order to pursue our goals, we recruit specialists from Germany and from all over the world.

How is the gaming industry currently doing and what does its future development look like in Germany?
The coronavirus pandemic was a booster for the industry because many people had to stay at home and discovered gaming for themselves, also as a way to connect with each other virtually - which in turn underpins its social importance. We are currently seeing market consolidation worldwide, because the industry as a whole has grown too quickly in recent years. But that doesn't mean that we won't continue to grow in the long term. Because the target group is getting bigger and bigger: more older people are becoming gamers and new sales markets, especially in South America and Africa, are discovering their enthusiasm for gaming. In terms of development, we see a very high level of expertise in many areas in Germany that we can't simply get elsewhere. We have a very attractive location here, both for our German employees and for employees who come to us from abroad.

ABOUT BENEDIKT GRINDEL
Benedikt Grindel has been working at Ubisoft since 1998 after studying mathematics and business administration and starting his career in the textile industry. He initially worked in marketing and business development before moving into development in 2001 (when Ubisoft took over the German developer Blue Byte). There he was first a producer and then built up the live operations department. In 2014, he took over the management of the German studios. Since 2023, he has been Zone Managing Director at Ubisoft, responsible for development in England, Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

What economic opportunities does the gaming industry provide the state of NRW with as a whole?
On the one hand, the state of NRW sees the specific opportunities provided by the gaming industry: its creativity, the interdisciplinarity with which we work and, of course, the great digitalisation expertise. On the other hand, the state appreciates the bridging effects on traditional industry, as NRW is the industrial state in Germany. There is still a lot of potential to be tapped, because gaming is an industry of the future that is worth investing in. Politicians are increasingly recognising this and are in the process of creating the appropriate framework conditions. In order to promote the transfer of gaming to other sectors, the Fusion Campus was founded in Düsseldorf, in which we are involved. This is an agency whose task is to show companies - especially those in traditional industries - how they can utilise gamification for their business and create synergies between the various sectors.

How important is the human factor in this tech business?
Around 90 per cent of our jobs are permanent positions subject to social insurance contributions - this is where we differ greatly from other creative industries. This is because the development of a major game takes several years, during which we invest many millions of euros. The value of our company therefore lies with the competent people who work for us for as long as possible. Because gaming is a very complex construct and many things develop quickly, the people in the teams have to work well together. And to do this, they have to grow together. So, this is a long-term investment in people.

What advantages in terms of location does Düsseldorf have for you as a company with around 400 employees from 50 nations?
Düsseldorf is basically a very international and cosmopolitan city where our employees feel at home. For our French colleagues, for example, good restaurants are very important and there are more than enough of them in Düsseldorf. The large Japanese community, with which there is a high affinity in gamer circles, is also certainly an advantage of the location. And we have a good line of communication with the city and the economic development agency. But I think the greatest strength we have here to promote our industry goes beyond Düsseldorf: we have this huge, creative cultural and metropolitan region of the Rhine-Ruhr in the immediate vicinity.

So, you would like to see even more inter-municipal cooperation?
Yes, our industry thrives on clusters. If we had a Düsseldorf cluster and perhaps a Cologne cluster and a Ruhr area cluster, we would create a good network that would also attract other gaming companies. This would create even more lasting positive effects. I hope that we will be able take this step. •

Interview: Rainer Kunst, Words: Tom Corrinth
Pictures: Celine Al-Mosawi

Gaming is an Industry of the Future