Video game companies hit a wall

Why? People are simply going outside. 

We three kings 

When it comes to video games, three big names have dominated the industry for decades: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. From innovative consoles to prolific in-house publishers, these three have been riding the video game gravy train for as long as it’s been rolling.  

But all good things come to an end. Battered by major supply chain shortages and dragged down by the tech sell-off in the first half of the year, all three companies have posted disappointing results across the board. From active users to revenue to new console sales, all three have been left with a problem on their hands.  

Necessary pain? 

To an extent, this correction has been coming for some time. With people around the world locked up and with nothing else to do, gaming was always going to see an artificial boom that would balance itself out later. And that’s exactly what’s happened here. We’re all free to go about our daily lives again, and not all of us live and breathe Minecraft.  

The various in-house problems facing these gaming companies have also caused some major headaches. From launch to present day, getting your hands on one of those elusive next-gen consoles has effectively been a treasure hunt thanks to major semiconductor shortages across supply lines. 

So while a noticeable slowdown in Q2 performance might have been coming down the tracks for some time, the big three will need to move quickly to ensure this hitch doesn’t become a crash.