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The video game industry is resilient in the face of so much uncertainty

These are troubling times. The UK economy is on the brink of a recession. We have an energy crisis and stubbornly high inflation of 9% (with forecast of peak 11%), which the Bank of England is trying to cool with higher interest rates. This, along with geopolitical uncertainty, is helping to slow the economy. According to the Office of National Statistics, the UK’s statistical agency, GDP fell by 0.3% in April 2022, after a decline of 0.1% in March 2022. Two consecutive quarters of decline in GDP signifies a recession. We may already be there as GDP is a backward-looking indicator.

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Sony’s decision to release more games on PC makes complete sense

Sony’s PlayStation business strategy is changing. During the PS4 generation, Sony’s strategy was to double down on releasing quality first-party narrative games and offering its customers access to catalogue games with its PlayStation Now service. Although PS Now had PC access via a streaming solution and games controlled with a PS4 controller, the addition of a PC solution was not ideal. Apart from the fact keyboard and mouse was not supported, the quality of the streaming was sub-par even with a strong 30Mbs broadband download speed.

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Video game publisher share prices reflect growing confidence in the industry

Stock markets are volatile. At best they reflect the health of a company and the overall direction of the economy, at worst they are hostages to human emotions and anxieties. There is no denying that a lot of decisions corporations make are to protect or boost their share price. Video game publishers which have gone public are no exception. Although it can be argued these companies produce “art”, they are fundamentally a business working in the entertainment sector and for many their goal is to maximise profit to ensure longevity. The purpose of this snapshot analysis is to gauge how resilient investors see video game companies given the turbulence of the pandemic, higher costs of living, and now a major war in Europe.

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Sparkers Academy

Deep dive into our internship program: how it started, the challenges we faced, our recruitment process, the different types of internships, and of course how interns perceive it and the benefits they gain from such an experience.

 

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