Market Dynamics
2018 has seen faster growth in the France gaming market than ever before, with estimates placing it as the fourth largest market in the world, with an overall growth of 18%. This acceleration of growth is largely attributed to the surge in popularity of mobile gaming, with an 82% year-over-year growth in 2018, enabled by strong digital infrastructure and increased smartphone advertisement. The past few years have also seen the emergence of esports as a viable money-making opportunity not just in France but around the world. This has been a major factor in the industry's growth and has helped raise interest in the French domestic gaming market. While the majority of the revenues for competitive gaming come from outside of France, 2018 saw a growth of esports viewership in France, increasing from 1.31 million viewers to 1.94 million viewers.
This strong support of the esport market in France signifies the potential for growth in the future.France has also played host to a plethora of hardware and software events that have exposed gaming to a larger audience and created more buzz for the industry, including the Paris Games Week, a great platform for developers to showcase their latest works, although the event has decreased in attendance in 2018 due to the out-of-competition presence of Console and PC Gaming series.Despite the overall growth of the France gaming industry, there still remains a gap in terms of consumer spending compared to other markets around the world. In 2018, France had a total consumer spending of $1.9 billion, a figure that is much lower than other European countries, such as the UK, Germany, and Italy. This indicates the need for greater investment in the industry locally, as well as improved incentives for foreign investors.It is expected that the France gaming market will continue to experience strong year-over-year growth in the coming years due to the significant number of potential gamers, strong consumer spending, and the emergence of new technologies to enhance the gaming experience.
During the forecast period from 2018 to 2032, it is estimated that the France gaming market may grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6%. The emergence of new technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as well as the increased investment in esports, are expected to drive this growth. Furthermore, the continued growth of mobile gaming in France is expected to be further buoyed by the rise of a strong digital infrastructure and the development of new content.
