What the coronavirus is changing in the video game industry

Encouraged to stay at home because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, one might think that video games have a bright future ahead of them. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Indeed, the coronavirus is completely disrupting the video game world. Focus! In France, since Edouard Philippe's declaration, many structures are closed until further notice. No more library, no more cinema, no more restaurant… So you have to keep busy! The video game could then become the ideal object for entertainment. Yet even this environment is being turned upside down by the pandemic, for better or worse.

Spread the virus!

Plague Inc is a smartphone game that has been very popular since the arrival of the coronavirus. Even though the Chinese authorities have removed Ndemic Creation 's epidemic simulator from download platforms, the game is still increasingly downloaded. As a reminder, the developers insist that this game is only a fiction, not a scientific study. With its sudden popularity, Plague Inc could be to video games what Steven Soderbergh's Contagion has been to movies since the pandemic. 

An evolution of online video games

Online video game services also seem to have exploded. For example, since the closure of schools in Italy, there has been a 70% increase in Fortnite according to Bloomberg's website. There is also a lot of traffic on League of Legends, Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty. The Internet is going through a great test of reliability and power while teleworking is becoming more and more important to protect itself from the scourge. Many software, such as Skype, are downloaded. Luigi Gubitosi, Managing Director of Telecom in Italy, explains:

"We've seen an increase of more than 70% in internet traffic on our fixed network, with a significant contribution from online games like Fortnite."

In the UK, a Vodaphone spokesperson said the company had increased the capacity of its network. Internet traffic has been increasing significantly since February.

Competition through e-sports?

E-sport is also very popular at a time of confinement. All sports competitions around the world are gradually cancelled, giving way to virtual competitions. Rocket League, Overwatch, Fifa or Apex Legends are incredibly famous on Twich and social networks (YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming among others). The tournaments of these games start by the thousands per week. Sharing on social media is also increasing dramatically, reaching hundreds of thousands of views.

According to Bloomberg, online gaming allows new action-seeking audiences to take an interest in esports. Major sporting events know the excitement generated by online tournaments:

"It's easy for our industry to move to all-online events … It won't be very expensive to have more tournaments and content to promote." 

In France, amateur online competitors would be close to one million and 91% of them are between 15 and 34 years old, according to the France Esports Association. Competitions based on shooting games seem to be the most common.

E3 finally cancelled…

If all this sounds positive for video games, things quickly became complicated. Even in esports, the medical device should not be neglected. The tournaments are therefore only online, not being able to be organized in the large rooms (which have become empty of all their supporters). We also know for a few days that E3, the largest video game show in Los Angeles, is canceled.

"After careful consultation with our members about the health and safety of all attendees (our fans, employees, exhibitors and long-time E3 partners) we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, which should have taken place June 9-11 in Los Angeles."

He is not the only one, since the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco is also canceled. Microsoft, Sony, Kojima Productions and many others had repeatedly announced the impossibility of participating to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Microsoft said in a February 29, 2020 statement:

"We have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco. The health and safety of players, developers, employees and our partners around the world is our top priority. Especially as the world experiences increasing public health risks associated with coronavirus (COVID-19)"

The cancellation of E3 due to the coronavirus has big consequences for indie games. Indeed, the cancellation of these many salons is much more difficult for them. Conferences, tests and exhibitions allow these small studios to gain publicity but also partnerships with major publishers. 

An economic difficulty to be expected?

The most anticipated games like Cyberpunk 2077 or The Last of Us Part II, which cannot be presented by its demonstrations, could run the risk of seeing their release dates (again) postponed by a few weeks. Nothing is certain but on the economic side, it is difficult to imagine the marketing of the game only on online sales sites. It should also be noted that large companies have been losing a large stock market value for several weeks, because of the general fear of the Coronavirus. In France, Ubisoft lost 25% of its turnover while in Japan, Square Enix lost 22%. Even worse! Game productions and perhaps even future consoles are likely to experience slower development. Indeed: almost all machines are built in China. In 2018, more than 90% of the consoles sold worldwide were manufactured there. However, contamination slows down production enormously. No statement has been made though, so we can still hope for the imminent arrival of these next games. However, the firm DFC Intelligence fears a possibility of postponing the release of these new consoles.

"The coronavirus is likely to have a major short-term impact on the delivery of both systems. It is highly likely that one or both of the systems will not be launched in 2020. If the systems are launched, supply will likely be limited and the initial price may be higher than expected. Currently, the economy is in a state of unprecedented uncertainty. Even though the situation will clear up in a few weeks, the ability to manufacture and launch a new high-end gaming system has already been severely affected."

In France, other salons are experiencing cancellations. This is the case of the Retro Gaming Play Festival on 14 and 15 March 2020 in Seine et Marne. It will therefore be impossible to touch the old consoles that marked the hour of glory of video games…

Video games as a cure?

However, if economic difficulties are felt throughout the pandemic, video games seem to be a perfect pastime but also an excellent scientific vector for the possibility of "playing" with the Coronavirus. If Plague Inc allows the smart guys to spread a fake epidemic, Foldit could help destroy it! Developed by the University of Washington in 2008, this game allows you to bring theories and solutions to scientists in order to get valuable help. Become a mission for more than 200,000 players, the site to download the game indicates that:

"In recent weeks, researchers have been determining the structure of the 2019 coronavirus spike protein and how it binds to human receptors. If we can design a protein that binds to this coronavirus spike protein, it could be used to block interaction with human cells and stop infection! »

The goal is to create an antiviral protein to understand and fight the virus. At present, it is difficult to know how far video games will evolve with COVID 19. In the meantime, it remains the best way to play as a family. It also makes it possible to establish contact with the outside world. Isn't this a good way to remember the philosophy of Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima's latest video game? Reconnecting a population that is afraid of the outside world… We would almost pity the delivery men in case of total containment.