The coronavirus pandemic continues to overturn previously held truths about consumer behavior and purchasing habits for a wide range of industries. At Quantcast, we have unique first-party data, which enables us to draw insights into these dramatic shifts for marketers in real-time. We use these insights every day to help our clients inform their brand strategies. One of the sectors we’ve taken a closer look at recently is the gaming industry. As parents suddenly find themselves quarantined at home with bored children to entertain, and adult gamers find themselves with extra time on their hands, a number of key trends have emerged.

Family favorites

Moms and dads worldwide are suddenly faced with the challenge of working from home while attempting to continue their kids’ education and fill extra hours of downtime. This appears to have driven a huge jump in interest for family-friendly gaming. Of the recent major launches during the pandemic, family-orientated Animal Crossing has beaten other launches including Final Fantasy VII Remake and DOOM Eternal for clicks by a wide margin.

New releases given viral boost

While many industries are coming to terms with dramatically falling revenues and strategic plans which no longer apply, it seems the gaming industry may actually be benefitting from the pandemic. Online fansite activity for the Final Fantasy VII Remake launch beat the previous edition in the series by a whopping 27%.

Female gamers flock from mobile to console and PC

With mobile-friendly commutes being a thing of the past for many, it appears female gamers are switching to consoles and PC gaming during their increased time at home. Our report shows how each platform has benefited or lost from the pandemic and includes some interesting insights into demographic trends.

These are just a sample of our key findings. You can access the full report here.

We’re continuing to look at how consumer behavior continues to change over time during this crisis. Be sure to check out our insights hub for new insights in the coming weeks.

For more information on how Quantcast can help your brand understand online consumer behavior in real-time, get in touch here.