France might outshine UK in the gaming industry
It is no secret that the pandemic took a toll on everyone – both individuals and companies, and some are still struggling to get back to some sort of status quo. However, there are some segments within the world’s markets that not only survived but gained from the lockdowns and isolation of citizens. Namely the gaming industry.
The gaming industry overall
Due to many people being unable to go to work as usual, or some even losing their jobs, the gaming industry within multiple countries have noticed a boom in both the interest of gaming as well as in the purchase of games.
One of the segments within the industry, namely the casino and betting business, has been able to see the shift up close. It has mainly been seen as people would shift from then closed-down classical brick-and-mortar casinos to more easily accessible options online. Something that would also increase the number of gambling sites overall, as well as those comparing different casinos within the market, such as Spinsify for example.
However, the pandemic is not the single cause for this, as digitalization has opened the market for possibilities online. But it can be seen as a contributing factor, as online options became a reachable solution for many.
Video games
If looking into the segment of video games, multiple studios and companies specialized in game and console development would see a massive increase in players – both current ones, as well as non-gamers. All looking for a moment of relaxation (and/or distraction) from what was going on in the world.
As reported by Thegamer.com in March 2021, the console market itself increased sales from $45.2 billion in 2019 to $53.9 billion in just one year – a total of 19 per cent in 2020 only. However, even though the market shows no signs of stopping, the gaming companies have a tricky task ahead of them.
Tricky task mastered by the French
As many non-gamers have entered the world of gaming, there is no guarantee that they will stay indefinitely. Especially as multiple players are now heading back to a pre-pandemic lifestyle and have used platforms for pastime activities due to the lockdowns. Nonetheless, according to Ggamesindustry.biz, the French studios do seem to have a solution as they set a second record for its video game market during 2021.
Exactly what the French have done to set the record two years in a row is not an answer known to many. But according to the numbers, the country’s gaming companies, as well as number of players, seems to be on the rise. According to statistics, PC games are showing the largest upturn with a 5% yearly increase. Nevertheless, hardware sales for both PC and consoles did result in an overall year-on-year increase of 22%.
Even though the UK is seen as the major actor in the international gaming markets today, France is not far behind to hold the throne as the European leader. Especially if we let the numbers speak for themselves.
