Both industry veterans released new titles, attracted new players and saw success with esports leagues based around popular games.
Meanwhile, up-and-coming companies like Scopely Inc. and Zwift Inc. raised major sums from venture capitalists eager to get in on the game. Here’s a deeper dive into the industry’s recent results.
A Record-Setting Year
3.7 Million
Copies sold at launch of Activision Blizzard’s “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands,” the highest first-day sale numbers for any PC game.
$3 Billion
Product sales and in-game purchases for Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty” franchise over the last year.
46 Million
Peak concurrent viewers during Riot Games’ “League of Legends” 2020 World Championship in Shanghai.
A Surge in Players
428 Million
Monthly users for all Activision Blizzard games in the second quarter of 2020.
4 Million
App store downloads in November for Scopley media games, according to Sensor Tower.
3 Million
Daily players during testing of Riot’s new title, “Valorant.”
Big Raises
$540 Million
Money raised by Scopely from multiple funding rounds in 2020.
$450 Million
Fitness game developer Zwift Inc.’s revenue during a Series C funding round announced in September.
$40 Million
Amount of funds obtained in a Series A round wrapped up in April by esports brand Faze Clan Inc.
Industry Growth
2.7 BIllion
Video game players worldwide, up 4.9% since 2019, according to Newzoo.
495 Million
Total esports viewers in 2020, up 11.7% since 2019,according to Newzoo.
