Video Games

Consumer research explores consumer interest in cloud gaming and online gaming services New research from Parks Associates finds the US cloud gaming market could generate nearly $3 billion in annual subscription revenue, as 30% of US broadband households currently express interest in this service. The research, in Cloud Gaming Demand and Preferences, reports 74% of US broadband households play video games for at least one hour per week. Gamers play for an average of 22 hours per week, a number skewed towards heavy gamers,…

A first in video game history, brands can now promote and sell their items to a massive and highly engaged gamer audience, directly within the games themselves Scuti, the eCommerce technology platform, announced its new marketplace - the world's first retail store accessed directly through video games. Scuti's patent-pending platform lets brands market, sell and ship direct to game players from within any Scuti-enabled game. Scuti provides brands a direct channel to over 320 million mobile, PC and eSports players…

The world is changing right before our eyes. Movie theaters, restaurants, and bars have all shut their doors. Sports arenas, concerts, and conferences have been canceled. Schools and businesses are closed. As people search for a sense of normalcy and indoor entertainment in a time of social distancing, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, hit the nail on the head when explaining why people are flocking to video games. He said, "Games are the perfect platform because they connect people through the lens of joy, purpose,…

FOURTH AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY SURVEY SHOWS STRONG FUTURE FOR XR INDUSTRY Today, the XR Association (XRA), global law firm Perkins Coie LLP, and industry venture capital firm Boost VC released the results of the fourth annual Augmented and Virtual Reality Survey, which surveyed respondents from startups, enterprise technology firms, and investors in the XR industry in early 2020. The survey, conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, concluded that plummeting hardware and software costs, increasingly impactful…

Virtual Louis Vitton? Free Pizza for Advancing Levels? I’m Game! The Current State of Personalization I don’t know about you, but I love getting customized recommendations on Spotify. Sometimes I feel like they know me better than I know myself! And that’s the point exactly. In recent years, the personalization phenomenon has transformed consumer experiences. From algorithms that predict shows you are likely to watch and enjoy on Netflix, to custom product recommendations on Amazon (yes, that’s how I found that new book…

Access to Streaming Content Grows as Children Get Smartphones at Younger and Younger Ages As YouTube personalities, online influencers, and gaming celebrities have captured young peoples' attention, watching videos online has rocketed in popularity, topping TV, music, video games, and mobile games for enjoyment among tweens -- while four years ago it ranked fifth. Among teens, only listening to music beat out watching online videos, with playing video games, watching TV, and using social media trailing behind, according…

TIGA, the network for video games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the video games industry, released new data showing that over the last five years the focus of UK studios has moved away from mobile towards other platforms. In the year to November 2018, 40 per cent of UK studios were primarily focused on mobile, down from 49 per cent in 2013. TIGA also released the following new information: PC (comprising retail and online PC games, social network games and massively…

TIGA, the network for game developers and digital publishers, released new research on the UK video games industry which shows a surge in studio births, a spate in studio deaths and a swell in studios with zero employees. The overall studio population grew from 768 in November 2017 to 812 in November 2018. TIGA's research shows that in the year to November 2018: There was a surge in start-ups: there were 126 games start-ups or 10.5 start-ups per month (up from 6.15 start-ups per month in the period ending November…

In recent years, the booming business of video games has spawned a huge next generation of consumer engagement.  For those who have been living under a rock—or at least far away from the monitor screens and events that are involving more than 70 million viewers and billions of dollars— this burgeoning phenomenon is the world of competitive eSports. eSports, in which professional video game players face off against each other, has become a fast-expanding spectator sport filled with teams, leagues, and arenas (with yet a…