Published:
Video games have been a changing industry as new games are produced yearly, some leading up to innovating the scene. Recently, an article was posted on BBC about how games are beginning to cut down the time it takes to finish the game.
According to the article, Rhys Elliott from Midia Research explains how she has discovered that the longer the game is, the less likely it is for the players to complete the game entirely. But could there be an even more significant shift in the industry beyond this phenomenon? Let’s take a deeper dive into the industry's recent performance.
The gaming scene over the recent years has been taken by online gaming as users can play at their own pace. With online games expected to generate over $120.2 million from 2025-29, there is no doubt to determine how video games are played in the current market based on their yearly growth. Portable games are popular as they allow players to play anywhere they want and are usually short enough to finish them quickly. An example is how an app game launched in December of 2024, Infinity Nikki, generated over $15 million in the first month. This latest game made by Papergames from China establishes how open-world gaming can be created for users to enjoy worldwide. As we see further changes in the industry, it defines how the standard in gaming is starting to change for the players to purchase the games.
However, that change can be seen as a negative towards the game companies starting to decline in sales. We are seeing a decline of 45% in January compared to last year’s report on gaming consoles. This follows physical games being down by 85% of the industry’s highest sales in 2008. More specifically, physical gaming decreased by 34.5% in the UK, with the latest big EA Sports game, FC 25, bringing in 80% of the sales digitally. These come with the convenience aspect of how people want to play their games. With big tech companies like Meta bringing their innovation and their latest VR headsets into the industry as well, we are seeing a shift in what users want to obtain in terms of experience when it comes to gaming.
That being said, video games are becoming more inclusive towards people with disabilities, showing how the industry is finding capability in what has once been a struggle to answer for years. As a solution, Samsung developed the ‘Embrace Your Game’ portal to support people with disabilities in playing video games to their fullest potential. Another example is how Activision Blizzard developed their games using APX from AbleGamers to give gamers accessibility. This shows how, as we keep getting innovative based on the demands, solutions are created from the problems we had for the games to be played by everyone.
With over 2.6 billion gamers worldwide, users show the importance of what companies need to do to gain their sales as demand changes. However, upcoming releases such as Grand Theft Auto 6 and the Nintendo Switch 2 could raise the gaming market as the well-known franchises gain popularity from many gamers. The negatives and positives we can see from the industry can determine how companies will strategize their approach to what type of business decisions and creations they will make in the future.
File under
Share this article
