In the last week of March, 132% more gaming apps were installed than in the same period last year. This growth is due to the Corona crisis, as can be seen in a new infographic on Kryptoszene.de. One month after the 200th confirmed corona case, there was already a significant increase in the number of games played compared to one month earlier. In states with a high number of cases the rise was even greater. Gaming stocks and investors are benefiting from this development.
On 21st March alone, 44.53 million mobile games were installed worldwide. In contrast, only 18.02 million mobile games were installed on the same day of the previous year. This is illustrated in data from an “Adjust” survey. The chart demonstrates a comparably large difference on other days as well.
There are, however, geographical differences: in Spain, gaming applications are in particularly high demand at the moment – it is worth noting that, according to the Worldometers, the country has the second highest number of Covid-19 infections after the USA with 226,629. On the Iberian Peninsula, 66 million gaming applications were installed one month after the 200th confirmed Corona case, compared to 43 million one month earlier.
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Gaming Companies Crisis Winners
While many industries are suffering as a result of the corona crisis, the gaming industry is thriving. In fact, it is doing even better than other sectors also on the upswing. Gaming app downloads rose by 75 percent in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter last year. The increase for entertainment apps, including those from streaming providers such as Disney Plus and Netflix, is lower at 55 percent.
As further evidenced in the infographic, growth can not only be measured in app purchases or downloads, but also in interactions. Since the onset oft he effects of corona, Twitter discussions related to gaming have risen by 71 percent.
Gaming Stocks Gaining Disproportionately
This development is also reflected in share prices for game developers. While the DAX index rose by around 10 percent last month, the value of numerous gaming shares rose more steeply. Activision Blizzard gained about 21.1 percent over the same period, and Electronic Arts’ stock market value also rose by 20 percent.
