Thriving Creatives Industry: Record Billion-Dollar Sales and Expansion to a New Site - Booming creative industry: revenues in the billions and expanded geographical sites
**Hamburg's Creative Industry Thrives with Support from Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft**
The creative industry in Hamburg is flourishing, thanks in part to the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, a municipal institution that supports creatives on their journey from idea to successful business model. Last Monday, the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft took over an old school building in the Seilerstraße, St. Pauli district, which boasts several thousand square meters of space.
Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft is the city's largest promoter of the cultural and creative industry. The building will house businesses within the creative industry, creating new jobs for actors in this sector. The real estate and urban development department is one of the areas of work for the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft.
The creative industry is a significant contributor to Hamburg's economy, with around 2.6% of the city's total economy coming from this sector. In fact, every seventh company in Hamburg is a company from the creative industry. The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft supports this growth by running initiatives targeting design, content, tech, and gaming sectors through platforms like Design Zentrum Hamburg, Gamecity Hamburg, and nextMedia.Hamburg.
Hamburg's creative industry is dynamic and innovative, as demonstrated by ongoing events such as the Cross Innovation Day 2025, which took place in the Oberhafen creative quarter in June 2025. This event gathered around 200 participants from diverse industries to explore innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration focused on sustainable future solutions.
The games industry is a particularly important element of Hamburg’s creative economy, featuring decades of successful companies and a growing indie game scene. The recent successful premiere of the Portside Game Assembly event highlighted the city’s role in fostering international B2B connections for game studios, especially indie developers. A follow-up event is planned for 2026, indicating strong future momentum in this sector.
The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft continues to support the creative industry in Hamburg, including urban development projects. The successful reception of Portside Game Assembly and its scheduled continuation reflect an ongoing commitment to strengthening Hamburg’s position in the creative gaming industry and international networking.
Thought leadership and international dialogue on the future of creative industries, such as the participation of Charles Landry at the German Creative Economy Summit in 2025, indicate a strategic orientation towards forward-looking insights and urban creativity ecosystems. The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft has already signed 50 subletting contracts for the building in Seilerstraße, signalling a busy future ahead.
The transformation of urban spaces will remain an important task for both the city and the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft. The number of creative industry companies in Hamburg has increased by 27% over the past 13 years, with approximately 31,000 companies currently operating in this sector. The annual turnover of the creative industry in Hamburg is approximately 11.4 billion euros.
Overall, Hamburg’s creative industry is dynamic and well-supported, with the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft playing a central role in fostering innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth across design, media, tech, and gaming sectors. The city is actively building on this foundation with focused events, incubation programs, and international networking to maintain and enhance its creative economy into the future.
The Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft has signed 50 subletting contracts for the building in Seilerstraße, illustrating a busy future ahead, not just in terms of urban development, but also for the employment of individuals in the creative industry. As a result, this home-and-garden makeover could pave the way for a new lifestyle for many creative professionals in the city. Furthermore, the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft's support for various sectors like design, content, tech, and gaming, such as through platforms like Design Zentrum Hamburg, Gamecity Hamburg, and nextMedia.Hamburg, will continue to shape the community policy for the creative industry in Hamburg.
