Gaming leads entertainment industry, from Call of Duty to Candy Crush, as millions stay in
- With outdoor activities banned or cut short, the video game industry is seeing a huge boost in business
- Sales of consoles, online games and software all show large gains, the only losers are spectator based e-sports
Video games have been seeing exceptional growth during the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down real-world activity and kept billions indoors – and it’s not just the usual young crowd who has been playing.
Evidence of the gaming surge was seen in strong results last week from Activision Blizzard, which said an average of 102 million people played its games such as Call of Duty online every month during the first quarter of this year. The company reported growth in titles such as Overwatch, World of Warcraft and the popular colour-matching smartphone game Candy Crush .
Electronic Arts saw players flock to online sports in hit franchises devoted to soccer, baseball, and American football. “They’re gaming so much they are wearing out their devices,” says analyst Ted Pollak of Jon Peddie Research.
A report by Futuresource Consulting called gaming “the shooting star of the entertainment industry” that is expected to grow its share of the sector to 36 per cent by 2023 from 31 per cent last year. “Following a record-breaking year in 2019, with gaming software generating US$143 billion of consumer spend, the industry is now poised for further growth, with captive audiences worldwide acting as a catalyst.”
