In the video game industry, piracy is the order of the day. It is a very common practice that makes both developers and large platforms lose millions. The way in which this is represented is through the illegal downloading of video games, thus assuming 20% ??of the loss of profits, especially in the PC sector.
This practice has seen a decline in cases over the years, but it still remains a scourge for world economies. In Spain specifically, approximately 600 million euros are lost per year due to piracy, which includes cultural content such as books or films. Despite the gradual decrease in the number, the events that have occurred in the last two years, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the greater interest of young people in video games and the global microchip crisis, may change the course of this trend.
The Covid-19 pandemic increased the sale of consoles and video games, especially those that have the option of playing online, since they served as a means of communication between friends. This increased the interest that videogames already aroused, not only as entertainment, but also as a way of life or even as work. Streamers and gamers already recognized in the Spanish scene such as Rubius or the now popular Ibai, are great references in the world of video games for those under 30 years of age. These two facts in themselves would not be a problem when it comes to marketing or pirating video games, the problem is the global microchip crisis.
This crisis, arisen as a result of several factors such as the lack of manufacturing or the massive purchase by cryptocurrency miners, has caused many companies to delay their general launch of consoles, since they do not have materials to build them. This is the case of Sony with its Play Station 5, which has been sold out for months in Spanish stores and they do not know exactly when they will be able to have them again. This problem has led to widespread price increases in the video game industry which, in the long run, can result in increased counterfeiting of consoles and video games.
This panorama is expected to be clarified next weekend with the beginning of one of the largest conventions in terms of video game news: E3 in the United States. On June 11, a 4-day event will begin in which the different video game powers will present their news and advances. The followers of some sagas and companies are waiting to know how these problems will be solved, while all kinds of rumors begin to be heard.
Some of the most notorious rumors that we have discovered on cbr, have to do with the Nintendo company, which may announce an update of its latest console, the Nintendo Switch to a more updated model, with exclusive games and with a higher price. to the current one. This has not seemed to please the community, which has been complaining for some time about price increases and the lack of new quality content commensurate with those high prices.
Finally, companies are still for the moment without giving news about this continuing crisis that is presented to them, although they have put measures in recent years to prevent piracy through more sophisticated software. Will we see a more competitive market in this next E3, or will we continue with the trend of the last 5 years without changes?