The video game in Spain billed in 2022 12.09% more than the previous year, reaching 2,012 million euros

May 16. (Portaltic/EP) –

The video game industry in Spain registered a total turnover of 2,012 million euros in 2022, which indicates growth compared to 2021 valued at 12.09 percent, the result of a recovery from the pandemic caused by Covid-19, according to the Spanish Association of Video Games (AEVI).

This is one of the conclusions reached by this association in its new yearbook ‘The video game industry in Spain in 2022’, a document that studies its situation and development in this country, as well as the profile of Spanish players and their interests.

In 2022, a total turnover of 2,012 million euroswhich indicates that it produced a total growth of 12.09 percent compared to the previous year, when a profit of 1,795 million euros was established (then, with a growth of 2.75 percent compared to 2020).

According to the yearbook, it has grown especially online billing (1,180 million euros), such as subscription to ‘multiplayer’ services, platforms and applications; versus physics (832 euros), that is, ‘hardware’, ‘software’ and accessories, which has decreased with respect to the previous year (which was 882 million euros in total).

From AEVI they consider that “it has been a record”, in the words of the general director of the association, José María Moreno. “We continue to be the fourth market in the European Union, behind Germany, France and Italy. These markets have also grown, although maybe less than our country”, Moreno has commented, who has suggested that there is now a “greater interest in video games” because “young people are giving them a new, more positive vision of this industry than there was before.”

For the president of AEVI, Alberto González, part of the success of videogames in this country is due to the fact that “creativity is well above the average of other countries” and that its professionals “provide solutions that are not easy to find in other places”.

In addition, the manager maintains that the interest in the consumption of titles developed in this country is also due to the fact that “regarding the PEGI classification, is exemplary in compliance, follow-up and knowledge” when establishing a recommended limit for the use of video games.

These factors could respond to a notorious total growth in the turnover of video games in Spain, which in 2022 registered growth in the sales data for console games (7,010,421 units sold in total) and for PC (81,326 units). .

The Spanish Association of Video Games has also indicated in the report that the video game industry employs a total of 6,187 people thanks to the 618 development studios spread throughout Spain, which have an average of 10 employees per studio.

The autonomous communities that present the most video game studios are Andalusia (102, with a total of 694 workers in total), Catalonia (165 studios with 2,923 employees) and Madrid (132 video game developers with 1,373 workers).

THERE ARE MORE MEN PLAYERS

At the player level, AEVI concludes in this report that last year 18.2 million users were registered, 53 percent of all men (9.6 million users) and 47 percent women (8.5 million).

By age, the youngest are the ones who play videogames the most: 84 percent in the case of those surveyed from 11 to 14 years old, followed by those under 6 to 11 years of age (79% and users from 15 to 24 years of age). (71%).

Users between 25 and 34 years of age, on the other hand, account for 60 percent of all players, a percentage that drops to 42 percent in users between 35 and 44 years of age, and 31 percent in those between 45 and 34 years of age. 64 years.

Regarding the time that players spend on these titles, AEVI has indicated that the Spanish spend an average of 7.42 hours a week playing to video games, that is, 8.4 percent less time compared to last year, when the average was 8.1 hours.

Even so, Spain is outperformed by European countries such as Germany, whose players spend an average of 10.2 hours a week, the United Kingdom (9.6 hours), France (7.9 hours) and Italy (7.5 hours).

‘The video game industry in Spain 2022’ also determines that the consoles continue to be the most widely used devices to play, followed by portable platforms and ‘smartphones’ (both with 9%). On the contrary, the PC and the tablet are used to a lesser extent for these purposes, and in this case it is adults aged 35 and over who prefer them.

FIFA 23 AND POKEMON, AMONG THE MOST POPULAR IN 2022

The most popular genres in 2022 they were action and role-playing video games with a total of 1,786,554.09 and 1,449,099.89 units sold, respectively. They are followed by themes such as adventure (731,463.22 units), races (535,301.53) and strategy (407,628.84 units), among others.

Despite the fact that sports was the least popular genre among gamers (1,114,501 units sold in 2022), FIFA 23 was the best-selling video game released in 2022 that year. The titles that complete the podium are Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Nintendo Switch Sports.

Among the remaining 17 of the ‘Top 20’ collected by AEVI are Gran Turismo 7 -which occupies the tenth position-, Horizon Forbidden West (11th), Grand Theft Auto V (15th) and The Last Of Us Part II (19th). Concludes the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope list.

Finally, regarding the ‘eSports’those responsible for AEVI have commented that these video game competitions have generated a revenue of 34 million euros in Spain and have achieved a penetration of 49 percent in the sector. At the level of professional workers, 577 and 240 professional players have been registered in this field.