The Coronavirus and the ‘significant impact’ it will have on the Italian gaming industry

The Coronavirus and the ‘significant impact’ it will have on the Italian gaming industry

The emergency Coronavirus (COVID-19) has rapidly turned into a global problem, with the governments of countries forced to issue exceptional measures to cope with the risk of contagion.

Security regulations will clearly have an impact on the economy, but the momentary closure of activities or events is necessary to overcome this critical moment. Various sectors are facing a very difficult situation and the video game industry has also suffered, with the cancellation or postponement of important events (E3, GDC), the suspension of eSports tournaments and the possible postponement of important titles releases, as the developers are forced to work from home.

As for the situation of the Italian videogame industry at the time of the Coronavirus, the interview granted to Gamesindustry.biz by Thalità Malagò, general manager of IIDEA (Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association).

Thalità Malagò said that this situation will have a “significant impact” on our industry, since “the presence at national and international gaming events is essential for some Italian developers who in this way are able to enter into agreements with publishers and increase their visibility” . Something impossible now, with the cancellation and postponement of important events.

But the problem also concerns the thriving eSports scene:

“Esports tournament organizers and teams live on sponsorships linked to events. Postponements or cancellations of major events will have a significant effect on eSports business operators for at least the whole of 2020”.

However, according to Thalità Malagò, there is a positive note:

“There is a positive side to all this: Italians are now also choosing video games, in addition to music and cinema, to spend their time at home”.

What do you think?

Source: Gamesindustry.biz.