In March, with countries around the world locked up, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was released and set a record for Nintendo, selling 26 million copies for $ 60 each. People loved the ability to take “Animal Crossing” to a deserted island where they could be architects, giving them control and a sense of adventure.
“Overall, 2020 should escape reality, relieve stress and frustration, and lift the spirits when you feel compelled to do it at home,” said Carolina Milanese, a technical analyst at research firm Creative Strategies.
Vivek Sharma, Vice President, Facebook Gaming, said, “I hope that as people begin to return responsibly to our previous Govt practices, many will continue to return to gaming.”
Not every gaming endeavor is a smash hit.
How can 2021 shake up
However, most companies in the sports sector are positive that growth will continue until 2021 despite the recession and high unemployment.
“Even in this economic situation, we see a lot of people willing to cut $ 500 for a new console,” said Carter Rogers, analyst at Nielsen’s video game Guy Super Data. “We do not anticipate any gaming downturn due to economic factors, because a lot of people are stuck at home, shifting costs to gaming at will.”
“The gaming business is a tough business … There’s a reason the big new entry into the gaming space from Xbox in the early 2000s didn’t come,” said Jack Pusser, sports director at Google Stadia, who previously worked. At Sony for over seven years. “Did we make a mistake? Of course. Are we learning from those mistakes? Of course. Will we make mistakes in the future? I hope we’re sure. Well. That’s part of the meaning of being in this business. But one thing is for sure: we owe it to ourselves.”
Google’s video site YouTube recorded its best year of 2020 with over 100 billion hours of gaming content. Ryan Wyatt, head of YouTube Gaming, said economic conditions such as the recession were “ultimately out of our control”, but that the company would continue its strategy of pleasing people next year, while at the same time attracting their attention.
Jessica Stout, a 31-year-old three-year-old with a YouTube channel of more than 7 million subscribers, told CNN Business that she hopes gaming growth will slow if people can get out safely again. Stout, who goes by the name “Upmaw” on his channel, said, “After being inside for so long, a lot more people are going to spend more time going out than ever before.”
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