News:
  • Women Directors 2021
  • Ma Rainey Sings the Blues with Passion and Rage
  • Kareem Tayyar and the Complexities of Joy
  • LIFE AFTER BIRTH APPLAUDS IMPEACHMENT NUMBER 2
  • Poets on Craft: Stephen Kampa and Chelsea Woodward
  • Signs and the City
  • Contact us
  • About
    • What is Cultural Weekly?
    • Advertise
    • Contributors
    • Masthead
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions: Write for us
    • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
  • Contact us
  • About
    • What is Cultural Weekly?
    • Advertise
    • Contributors
    • Masthead
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions: Write for us
    • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
Cultural Weekly logo
  • Film
  • TV + Web
  • Poetry
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Literature
  • Theatre
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Film
  • TV + Web
  • Poetry
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Literature
  • Theatre
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Food

A new gaming global superpower is born

By Our Friends on December 4, 2020 inGameLifestyle

Gaming
Click Here To View Comments

Gaming is rapidly becoming one of the most significant global leisure sectors, with year-on-year growth of almost 10 percent. Researchers at Newzoo predict that the market will be worth more than $200 billion by 2023. It is easy to assume that this growth stems from the tech giants and major development houses in the USA, China and Japan. However, the industry is also experiencing immense growth in what might seem the most unlikely places. New Zealand is a perfect example.  

Earlier this year, the New Zealand Games Developers Association (NZGDA) published its annual report, and it made remarkable reading. Industry revenue more than doubled from $100 million in 2017 to $203 million in 2019. That means New Zealand makes more money from gaming than Australia, despite the fact that the industry employs only 683 full time staff, compared to more than 1,200 in its neighbouring country. 

New Zealand developers leading the way 

The average gamer might struggle to name a New Zealand developer, yet the island nation is behind some titles that have become household names. For example, NinjaKiwi has the Bloons series at the centre of its portfolio, while Little Lost Fox has brought us Valleys Between. RPG lovers will also be familiar with Path of Exile and its sequel, which are from Auckland-based Grinding Gear Games. It is developers like these that are responsible for more than 90 percent of the industry’s incredible growth.  

A proactive approach to iGaming 

New Zealand’s sporting heritage is well known, and this is a country that has never been afraid to put its money where its mouth is. New Zealanders love a wager, and in the online age, that has quickly extended to real money casino gaming. This is an area in which regulatory restrictions have hampered domestic growth, the result being that there are literally dozens of offshore providers catering to the local market. The government has been quick to react, and is currently in the process of consulting on regulatory change. Expect local iGaming platforms to enter the fray sooner rather than later.  

Embracing eSport 

If there is one area of gaming that is growing as quickly as iGaming, it is eSport. We’ve already mentioned that this is a sports-mad nation, and it was one of the first outside the heartlands of east Asia to establish its own eSport federation. Other nations have only just started to take eSport seriously, largely due to the dearth of other alternatives in the first part of 2020. New Zealand, with its existing infrastructure, is already ahead of the game and has locked in vital relationships with some key sponsors.   

Future growth 

All these factors combine to mean New Zealand’s role in the gaming landscape will only get stronger over the coming years. With more developers coming through the ranks, mature channels to market and proactive government supports, the nation has a strong position in a booming market. Industry insiders predict that the industry could be worth as much as $1 billion by 2025, and given the performance over the past couple of years, that seems highly achievable.  

Photo by Fredrick Tendong on Unsplash

Click Here To View Comments

TagsgamingNew Zealand

Previous Story

A Guide to Winter Cardio

Next Story

From Birds of Prey to Cats: 4 Movie Soundtracks That Made Their Mark in 2020

About the author

Our Friends

Our Friends

Our Friends is the by-line for Sponsored Content on Cultural Weekly. The content is provided by a sponsoring party to provide information to our readers. (Shaking hands photo by Flazingo under Creative Commons 2.0 License.)

Related Posts

  • What were the most Googled games and apps in 2020?

    By Emma James
    2020 has been a real roller-coaster of a...
  • What to Consider When Buying Gaming Speakers

    By Our Friends
    When playing online, gamers love to see...
  • Practice Makes Perfect – How to Become a Better Gamer

    By Our Friends
    Meta: Want to become a better gamer? It...
  • Fortunium Slot game reviewed

    By Our Friends
    The steampunk aesthetic has long been a...

Support Our Friends

Follow Us

Join Our Mailing List

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @CulturalWeekly

Comments

  • maurice amiel maurice amiel
    A Case Against New Year’s Resolutions
    Here is an interesting new voice: candid,...
    1/14/2021
  • Matthew R. Matthew R.
    A Taste of Gypsy Boots
    Thank you Gypsy, for being brave in your new...
    1/8/2021
  • maurice amiel maurice amiel
    Bye Bye 2020 … a mute testimony
    given the events at the US Capitol of January 6th...
    1/7/2021

New

  • Never Been Suspicious Of Buying Instagram Likes? Think Again
  • One a Kind Gift Ideas For Couples
  • Women Directors 2021
  • FIVE PLUS ANDY & JERRY & MORE
  • Support the Jack Grapes Poetry Prize

Tags

art dance film Los Angeles music photography poem poems poetry tomorrow's voices today

Like us

Please Help

Donate

Who are we?

Cultural Weekly is a place to talk about our creative culture with passion, perspective and analysis – and more words than “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” Our mission is to draw attention to our cultural environment, illuminate it, and make it ... read more

Site map

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • Contributors
  • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
  • Food
  • Home
  • Masthead
  • Privacy Policy/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Submission Form
  • Submissions: Write for us
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Thank You

Links

Adam Leipzig
Entertainment Media Partners
This Is Crowd
CreativeFuture
Plastic Oceans Foundation
Arts & Letters Daily
Alltop
Alexis Rhone Fancher
Jack Grapes
Ethan Bearman
Writ Large Press

Mailing List

* indicates required


  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Contact us
Cultural Weekly is the digital magazine and public platform of Next Echo Foundation. DONATE HERE.
Copyright © 2010-2020 by Adam Leipzig. All Rights Reserved.