Coronavirus: the video game industry breaks records but fears post-containment

Text by: Romain Philips Follow

Driven by the containment measures decreed around the world to fight against the Covid-19, the video game industry sees its figures break records.

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Online sales, downloads, views ... While many markets are collapsing due to the confinement of a large part of Humanity to fight against the Covid-19 , for that of the video game, all indicators are at green. Only the store sales sector is suffering from the health crisis due to the closure of specialized outlets.

Over the period from March 16 to 22, 2.74 million games were downloaded from the EMEAA market (Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa), an increase of 52.9% compared to the previous week. "  Sales of video games are booming following the coronavirus epidemic  ," comments the specialized site Gamesindustry , which reveals these figures from data from 50 EMEAA countries (therefore without the United States). A phenomenon of course linked to the coronavirus but which is also exacerbated by the release of two games: Animal Crossing and Doom.

Between these same dates, in France, which entered containment on March 17, the increase was 180%. Same observation for Spain (+ 142.8%), where confinement was decreed on March 14. In Italy, the first European country to have implemented containment, digital sales exploded by 174.9% the week following the measures to combat Covid-19. Game platforms such as Steam record historical connection records, as do streaming platforms like Twitch.

“  Video games are something quite remarkable for these situations. We can play sports, immerse ourselves in a world that allows us to get out of our house. But also play together and have long-distance relationships  , ”says Emmanuel Martin, general delegate of the union of leisure software publishers (SELL), for whom this increase is logical and“  cyclical  ”.

A general public market

Today, the catalog of video games is varied. From the war game to that of reflection passing by those allowing to play sports, the offer is aimed at all audiences. To encourage social distancing, the WHO had, at the end of March, encouraged citizens to play video games by supporting the " PlayApartTogether  " initiative  (Play together, but at a distance) launched with 18 players in video games. A decision that had aroused surprise since since 2018, the World Health Organization recognizes addiction to video games as a mental illness.

We're at a crucial moment in defining outcomes of this pandemic. Games industry companies have a global audience - we encourage all to #PlayApartTogether. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives. https://t.co/QhX0ssN0lH

In countries where containment arrived later, such as the United Kingdom, the fear of being locked up was not only beneficial for the sale of games. Many citizens wanted to equip themselves before being confined. During the week of March 9 to 15, console sales increased 126.6% and then 250% the following week. In Australia, the increase was 19.6% then 285.6%.

Another trend is emerging in this period of confinement: former players who return to the world of video games. "  We see a lot of people reconnecting old consoles , we see that video games are a very popular hobby in this particular context  ", explains to RFI Thomas Beaufils, communication manager at Xbox.

Mobile games break records

If console and PC games are on the rise, this is also the case for mobile games which have reached historic levels. According to the App Annie app market observatory "  mobile game downloads have increased, with weekly game downloads in March 2020 up 30%  " compared to the entire fourth quarter of 2019.

On the African continent in particular, "  the use of mobile games has exploded  ", explains to RFI Sidick Bakayoko, the founder of Paradise Game, a start-up which aims to promote the personal and professional practice of video games in Africa. If the constraints “  linked to console access and broadband connection  ” have limited the increase in console and PC sales, this is far from being the case for mobile games.

►To listen: In Africa, " video games have reached a milestone in production and consumption "

The fact that citizens stay at home allows African video game publishers to explore new opportunities. "  With confinement, it pushes people to play online, because they want to do it with other people,  " analyzes Mr. Bakayoko who hopes to see a change in the consumption of online games in Africa.

And to develop this phenomenon and expand the practice of online gaming on the continent, its teams are working on several projects, some of which could see the light of day. Thus, a gaming event between several countries and a mobile application "  to put players in contact all over the continent  " should see the light of day. It can be very interesting to see players from "  Nigeria playing with those from South Africa or other countries  ", he hopes.

Fear of the post-crisis

If for the moment the market is jubilant, the future is foggy for all players in video games. The cancellations of major events in the sector such as E3 or Gamescom, whose announcement of the cancellation occurred on April 16, create a lot of uncertainty. “  Traditionally, consoles are released in early November. We unveil them at E3 and then show them to the public at Gamescom just before,  "explains the director of SELL. Each end of the “  cycle  ”, the period between two new consoles is often complicated for video game companies and because of the coronavirus, “  we risk seeing this end of the cycle extended  ,” worries Emmanuel Martin. "  We are not sure to find all the players  " of the video game at the end of the health crisis, he concludes.

For major brands, which are betting a lot on this end of the year with the release of new consoles from Sony (Playstation) and Microsoft (Xbox), these cancellations upset their plan. "  They are still under construction, we do not know at the moment (...) But we remain on an exit  " this year, we confirm at Xbox referring to a future communication focused on digital.

For African developers, the cancellation of these major events is disabling, because they are an opportunity to make themselves known on the international scene and to have visibility. "  If even Playstation and Xbox are impacted, it's the same effect that will be felt on independent developers  ", regrets Sidick Bakayoko. African publishers who manage to be represented at world fairs "  are spokespersons for video games in Africa  " and therefore "  when these fairs are canceled, it is a lost opportunity  ", he regrets .

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