According to new research by the Entertainment Researcher's Association (ERA),(1) the rise of mobile and digital gaming increased the retail value of the UK games sector to €4.43 billion in 2020, which is four-and-a-half times higher than its value in 2000.

While in 2000 gaming was the smallest of the three sectors that ERA represents (the other two being video and music), it is now by far the largest. With 47.8% of the combined sectors that the ERA represents, gaming is almost as big as the video and music sectors put together.

The figures were released to coincide with the Beyond Games conference that took place from 10 May 2021 to 14 May 2021.

ERA Chief Executive Officer Kim Bayley said:

The rise of gaming offers many lessons to the rest of the entertainment industry from its whole hearted embrace of technology to its diversity of channels for consumers to its entrepreneurial drive to its refusal to be limited by old business models. In answering the demand of consumers for immersive experiences, it is the leading 21st century entertainment sector.

Endnotes

(1) For further information please see the ERA website.