Video games have grown from a special niche product usually found in teenagers’ bedrooms among other tech to one of the digital world’s booming industries.
With a huge potential for worldwide sales on offer, it’s no surprise that video games are now at the heart of major commercial maneuvering between some of the biggest global media corporations.
This rise in the prominence of the video gaming market has come at the same time as all online gaming has received a big boost of course. Games have never been more convenient and easy to play.
The progress of internet technology and the availability of remote access and live streaming have all impacted the surging popularity of gaming of all sorts.
Simple games from classic chess to ludo have become major global industries thanks to this digital revolution. Players can now enjoy everything from PUBG to GTA on their mobile phones, anytime, anywhere. Thanks to modern 5G and 4G technologies, gamers are now able to play online on their smartphones without leaving home.
It’s now common to find someone playing a card game during a short work break or enjoying a session of an elaborate video game on their sofa at home.
But the battle royale games have seen the biggest growth in business – perhaps due to the huge profits available from the vast audiences now available. This has helped to finance huge progress in the quality and usability of online action games. The profits of these games have led to great advances in presenting online games like PUBG or CODM.
These timeless action games are now slicker and more enticing than ever before. An old-school electronic metal box with flashing lights and beeping sounds could never compete with the latest online versions.
As a consequence, the latest online versions have soared in global popularity. More people than ever are playing shooting games.
At the same time, the video game industry has seen similar, if maybe not as dramatic, growth. Industry insiders are expecting much more to come from this world though.
That’s why big global media organizations are trying to claim a stake in this market potential in advance. It is expected to be one of the next big growth industries.
Streaming giant Netflix has entered the video game sector by recruiting leading gaming experts to try to gain a share of what it hopes will become a lucrative market. It has the muscle to mark out new territory in this fiercely competitive marketplace.
But Netflix is joining the other giant entertainment corporations like Amazon, Google, and Apple in placing large investments in the video gaming world. They expect big growth in the years to come ¬ but are facing the power of each other across this battlefield.
With around 220 million subscribers for its streaming services, Netflix is now well-placed to create a market for its video games. It has already launched its own games and is also busy buying game-making studios.
Already millions of its subscribers are starting to play games on their mobiles via the service, which has been better known for presenting dramatic series like Bridgerton or Stranger Things. The latest figures are promising for the streaming company though – Netflix’s games have been installed 28 million times so far.
That’s only the start. The Californian-based streaming company has now teamed up with a major French video game company to boost its gaming business.
This will allow Netflix to launch games from the Ubisoft design stable, including its best-known product: Assassin’s Creed. This could literally be the game-changer.
The Netflix video gaming business model will involve launching a wide range of desirable games that are only available to subscribers. These will not require ads or in-app purchases – because they will be financed by the subscriptions.
This will be an attractive feature for many video gamers. But will they want to pay for a subscription for the other games that perhaps they don’t want to play?
The Netflix plan is to have 50 high-quality video games available to lure in new gaming subscribers. The collaboration with Ubisoft and other game design studios seems likely to turn this plan into a reality.
The huge number of subscribers for the company’s video streaming service should give it a headstart in the video games market. The specialist skills of the game studios like Ubisoft should be able to create a whole new platform for gaming.
The true beneficiaries of all this commercial activity should be the players themselves. More and more top-quality games are likely to appear as the major operators strive to win their customers.
Expect more and more great titles available in various formats and platforms. Ads and in-game purchases may become rare.
New games are likely too and the likelihood is that heavily promoted new titles will emerge too. The future looks rosy for gamers.
The big unknown in the video gaming world at the moment is what will be the impact of new technology. Many are expecting subsequent revolutions will occur around the use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
It’s such a dramatic business world that many gaming industry insiders like to joke about the next big game title. It could be a game involving multinational corporations battling each other for a slice of the gaming marketplace.
No one is sure who will end up the winner on this particular battlefield – but whatever happens, it should be quite a game.
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