For decades, movies and music have been the dominant mediums of entertainment. However, while the technology that creates new films and music continues to improve to offer marginally better products, in another space of entertainment, new tech creates vastly superior experiences.
Video gaming has been available to homes since the 70s, improving with each new generation of devices. Now, we’re at the dawn of the ninth-generation of consoles. Of course, console gaming isn’t the only form of digital gaming, but it’s undoubtedly the platform that dominates headlines and holds the most advertising slots.
This year has seen the growth of the industry continue to rise, more so than initially projected in many jurisdictions. Now, it is firmly among the largest entertainment mediums in the world, leading the way in some countries. So, where have the masses been spending their game time in 2020?
The newest console of this generation continues to soar
Having been out since 2013, it makes sense that PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sales wouldn’t be their strongest this year. While they did continue to shift units, it was the 2017-launched hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch that dominated sales again this year. The Switch continues to add to its impressive sales that have blown past that of Microsoft’s last console in half the time.
As explained in the sales review by Tech Digest, the Nintendo device sold over 13.6 million units up to August alone, adding at least another four million units sold since that count. The key has been its steady stream of exclusive titles being backed-up by an ocean of novel indie games on its eShop.
This year alone, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Paper Mario: The Origami King, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have sold over 1 million copies each, with Animal Crossing blazing past the 26 million-mark since its March launch. Great games and innovative hardware continues to sell very well through 2020.
A kickback to the classics in a modern way
There is a substantial portion of the gaming industry that relies on proven classic titles. You’ll see remastered games get released every year, backwards compatibility being one of the main selling points of new consoles, and old games being ported to new platforms. In what is the most extreme instance of this, online browser-based gaming has seen a massive uptick in players on its most storied games.
Casino table games have been around for centuries, managing to stay relevant because they are inherently simple yet, particularly for the card games, require skill to master. The epitome of this is the game that has been dominating 2020 in its newest form, blackjack. The game of 21 has been around since the 18th Century, and while the core concept has remained all-but unchanged, the ways to play have evolved tremendously.
Now, anyone who wants to play blackjack can find a diverse selection of innovative blackjack games at Royal Panda, which can be played in standard digital form or through the new live platform. It’s the live games, which connect the player to a physical table and human dealer via a stream to play in real-time, like Blackjack Party and Speed Blackjack, which are proving to be the most popular this year.
The biggest games on the smallest screens
In terms of global revenues and player count, mobile gaming is by far the biggest form of entertainment medium in the world. Due to smartphones becoming increasingly accessible and necessary, more and more people in less developed nations are joining the gaming scene through mobile devices. The industry analysis of Sensor Tower shows that of all of the gaming apps, the biggest throughout the year have been Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile.
Both created by Tencent, they have accumulated hundreds of millions in US$ each month, despite being free-to-play. Around them are ever-presents like Pokémon Go – which did well to adapt its formula this year – Coin Master, and Candy Crush Saga. The one to watch, though, is Genshin Impact. Available for free on almost all platforms, it was tipped to make $100 million in its first month of availability.
In a year that saw gaming surge across the board, the clear winners have been Nintendo, the classic game of blackjack, and the mobile games Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile.
