The evolution of videogames has continued to broaden the category across ages, platforms and devices. No longer the realm of young men, game behavior includes all ages of consumers embracing traditional console games and remakes (e.g. Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us, Resident Evil), as well as games that leverage traditional movie and TV IP (e.g. Marvel’s Spider-Man, Netflix games) and casual mobile gaming. Among Gen Z consumers, nearly a quarter of their entertainment screen time is spent gaming, where robust social communities exist alongside gameplay.
Disney’s recent $1.5B investment in Epic Games (the studio behind Fortnite) clearly shows how brands and franchises continue to broaden across entertainment universes, as IP more freely moves across movies, TV and games (e.g. Amazon’s Fallout, Netflix’s Grand Theft Auto). Gaming content is increasingly being used to enhance consumer engagement and loyalty to subscription services, by bundling game content with other devices (e.g. connected TVs) and platforms (e.g. Xbox Game Pass on Fios +Play). As studios and advertisers seek to capture the attention of gamers, how is game behavior continuing to evolve for consumers navigating more media choices than ever?
2024’s Gaming 360 study will continue to explore the devices and platforms gaining, or losing share as well as the role gaming plays in consumer leisure time. It will explore both opportunities and challenges that media companies currently face, as well as clarify how key metrics have shifted since Hub’s first Gaming 360 report in 2019.
Source: Interviews with 2,554 U.S. consumers 16-74
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