Pandemic situation or not, the world of video games has not stopped despite the limitations and difficulties The constant growth trend has also affected the Italian market and IIDEA, the trade association of the video game industry in Italy, has published the data relating to 2021 on the Italian situation.
The data contained in the report were processed as part of thepermanent observatory on the sector promoted by the European federation of the video game industry ISFE (Interactive Software Federation of Europe, ISFE), of which IIDEA is a member.
Video games in Italy in 2021
After a record 2020, the video game sector in Italy in 2021 continues to grow, creating a turnover equal to 2 billion and 243 million euros, we are facing a growth of 2.9% compared to the last analysis. All this despite the number of gamers is slightly decreasing with 15.5 million gamersequal to 35% of the Italian population between 6 and 64 years old. However, the involvement and the time spent together with our beloved video games grew: an average of 8.7 hours per weekespecially on consoles.
Marco Saletta, President of IIDEA, said: “In 2020, driven by the restrictions due to the pandemic, the consumption of video games in Italy had recorded a historic record, exceeding 2 billion euros for the first time. This year, thanks to the easing of emergency measures and a gradual return to normality, we would have expected to record a slowdown and instead we are celebrating a new extremely positive result for the whole sector. Analyzing the data, it is evident that we are witnessing a progressive increase in the presence of video games in the daily life of millions of Italians, with a real consolidation of the consumption of one of the most interesting and innovative entertainment media “.
Let’s talk about money!
Most of the turnover obviously concerns the software department for a value of 1.8 billion euros, thanks to the excellent performance of digital and apps. On the hardware front, also from the arrival of the new consoles, the increase is about 21.6%, for a turnover of 443 million euros with a growth of 12.1%.
The Top 20 aggregate (all platforms, physical and digital) of best selling video games in 2021 is led by FIFA 22, followed by Grand Theft Auto V and FIFA 21. I genres of video games best-selling in 2021 were Action, Sports Games and Role-playing for blockbuster titles on consoles, while Strategy, Action and Adventure lead the Top 10 for best-selling video games on PC.
Juan Insausti Alonso De Celada, Sparkers Account Manager Iberia & Italy commented: “The physical market was led by the next generation of consoles, recording growth of 4.5% year-over-year. In addition, we have observed a slight decline in software sales, caused by the lack of AAA releases mainly due to two factors: on the one hand, publishers are waiting for more consoles distributed on the market, on the other hand, delays have accumulated due to to the pandemic. When the new generation of consoles has completely taken over the previous generation, we expect significant growth for the software sector ”.
The Italian gamers
The number of gamers, on the other hand, falls to 15.5 million people equal to 35% of the Italian population between 6 and 64 years old, of which 56% men and 44% women. The age groups in which video games are played the most are those between 15-24 years and between 45-64 years which respectively register 3.7 million gamers within them.
However, the time spent together with video games is growing 8.7 hours per week on all deviceswith a significant increase in the time dedicated above all to consoles (about an hour more on average per week), while the time allocated to the game on smartphones and tablets recorded a slight decrease compared to 2020.
Regarding the most used gaming platforms, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are the most popular, with 9 million Italian gamers using them, including 4.2 million women. This is followed by PCs and home consoles with 6.9 million users. The segment of portable consoles, used by 1.4 million people, resists.