COVID-19 Fueled 12% Mobile Gamer Rise: IDC

More than six in 10 mobile gamers increased gameplay during lockdowns, and 75% of the heightened activity is expected to remain two years after the pandemic subsides, reported IDC Tuesday. It teamed with LoopMe to canvass 3,850 smartphone users in Brazil, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and U.S. in April, finding 6% of current mobile gamers didn't play pre-pandemic. “These new gamers appeared to skew male and a few years younger in age than the broader base of pre-pandemic mobile gamers,” said the companies. They estimate the global base of mobile gamers jumped 12% last year, reaching 2.25 billion. “Mobile gaming activity tended to increase more in the countries with the highest COVID-19 death rates,” said IDC analyst Lewis Ward. “Gamers in these same countries expected a larger pullback in gaming once the pandemic has subsided.”