Marmalade Game Studio, which converts family board games to a digital format so they can be played online, saw sales grow strongly during the pandemic.
The digital board game publisher, which recently secured a £22.5mln investment from private equity firm LDC, saw downloads rise 147% in the first UK lockdown between March and May in 2020 from the previous three months.
During the second UK lockdown between November and December 2020 downloads rose again by 155% and over Christmas when family gatherings were restricted sales rose by 38% over the 2019 festive season. When the UK entered its third lockdown from January 2021 to May downloads climbed again by 678% over the same period before the pandemic, the company revealed.
Online gaming surged in popularity during COVID-19 lockdowns with the global online video market growing in value to US$155.89bn last year with nearly one in five (18%) gamers across the European Union spending more time gaming online. In the UK that figure rises to 26%, Marmalade said.
The company’s products compete with free online conversions of modern board games offered by sites such as Boardgamearena.com, Yucata.de, boiteajeux.net and Steam, where the TableTop Simulator software can convert just about any board game to digital format.
“The digital board games market was already growing strongly before the COVID-19 pandemic driven by rising smartphone ownership and the quality and breadth of games available,” said Marmalade co-chief executive Cristina Mereuta.
“The pandemic has accelerated growth and highlighted the benefits of online digital board gaming for people keeping people and families connected and supporting mental health during lockdown. We expect the growth boost seen during the pandemic to continue as more families and individuals download and play games,” she added.