(Agence Ecofin) – In Africa, many companies have expressed their desire to invest in the African video game market. But paradoxically, as the pandemic has increased the exposure of games and their ability to sell “available brain time” to advertisers, the urge to invest in the sector in Africa has diminished.
Africa and the Middle East gained 54 million new gamers. This is revealed by the “Global Games Market Report”, published in July 2022 by the specialized company Newzoo. According to its figures, Africa and the Middle East have 488 million players, compared to 434 million in the 2021 edition of the study. The two regions combine 15% market share, worth approximately $7.1 billion, in the video game industry.
“Despite the easing of containment measures and the return to normal living (and spending), the number of players worldwide will reach new heights in 2022, with growth of 4.6%. The Middle East and Africa will be the main drivers of this growth in 2022 and beyond. In these regions, growth factors include better (mobile) internet infrastructure, affordable access to connection and growth of the middle class”explains the study.
The information is interesting, especially for advertisers who wanted to invest in “in-game” (inside video games; Ed). This type of will have greater exposure than in previous years, in Africa and the Middle East in particular. Some may be skeptical about this and argue that very few companies can afford to advertise in a major video game franchise. However, a statistic published in September 2022 by the British firm Ampere Analysis changes this perspective. ” The average time spent watching videos of people who play video games every day in the United States is almost five times greater than the time spent playing games. It exceeds both that passed in front of linear television and video on demand ».
Thus the audience of influencers and other content creators dedicated to video games can exceed 488 million players in Africa and the Middle East. This offers interesting exposure for , knowing that it is easy to communicate on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, favored by creators of content related to video games. The absence of figures specific to the African continent does not allow for a more appropriate analysis, but an interesting dynamic around video games is emerging with the creation of eSport federations in several countries. The connection between this sector and the sector creates interesting ground for advertisers.
Servan Ahougnon