The UK gaming market has proven to be quite profitable and sustainable over the years, thanks to the never-ending technological advancements. However, Italy’s game industry has also had its fair share of success in recent years, generating more revenue than ever before.
But how do these two markets compare? Is there any difference between the UK Gaming Industry and that of Italy?
Statistics and data do an excellent job of illuminating the answer to this question. So, let’s take a look.
Contents
An Overview of UK Games Market
The UK has the largest gaming industry in Europe and the sixth-largest video gaming market globally. In 2020, the country’s games market generated 2.6 billion British pounds, according to Statista.
Digital transformation, new technologies, and the increasing popularity of online gaming are some of the major factors driving the growth of the game industry in the UK. Moreover, a highly-anticipated online release and the increasing adoption of smart devices will further fuel market growth.
An Overview of the Italian Game Industry
The Italian game industry is currently ranked as Europe’s fourth-largest gaming market and ninth in the world. While it cannot compete with other leading European countries like Germany and France, Italy has seen rapid growth in its gaming industry over the past few years.
“In 2020 video games in Italy accounted for an estimated 2.2 billion euros in revenue”, according to the editorial board of Slot Gallina Online This growth spurt was partly facilitated by the Italian authorities’ stay-at-home measures.
Country Comparison – Who Spent More on Digital Games?
A 2021 survey of game-playing habits found that 50 percent of UK residents play video games, compared with just 40 percent in Italy. Digital spending also varies significantly between the countries.
Nearly 4.22 billion British pounds worth of gaming was sold digitally in the UK during 2020. In contrast, only 1.8 billion euros worth of digital gaming was purchased within Italy during that same time.
Breaking down these numbers, UK’s digital game sales were made up of about 39.5 percent MMOs, 39 percent on smartphones and tablets, 33 percent on console games, and 25 percent on PC games.
Conversely, smartphone and tablet games in Italy accounted for 33.5 percent of the total digital games’ revenue. The amount of money the Italian gamer spent on consoles games rose by 10.3 percent to 275 million euros.
UK Games market vs Italy’s Game Industry: 2017-2026
With the global gaming market predicted to be worth 257 billion dollars in 2025, the number of video gamers in the UK is forecast to be about 51.88 million within the same time. This will be a 17 percent increase from 44.32 million gamers in 2021.
Revenue from the UK video gaming sector is also expected to hit an average of 7.9 billion British pounds in 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.66 percent.
In Italy, the gaming industry rose to about 2.2 billion euros in 2020 from an initial 1.8 billion euros in 2019. This was a 21.9 percent increase, which, compared to 2019, was a major shoot.
The Digital Market Outlook predicts that the number of video game users in Italy could reach 30.6 million by 2026. Revenue from video games could also grow up to around 3 billion euros at an annual growth rate of 8.31 percent over the same period.
Conclusion
The gaming industry in Europe is growing faster than you could expect. While the Italian market may not be as big as its English counterpart, there is still much room for growth compared to other European countries.
