Market (Overall)·Updated Mar 23, 2026 by Konvoy
Report · April 1, 2023
Published by Konvoy
The gaming industry experienced a resilient start to 2023, with a projected global market size of $201 billion, representing a 9% year-over-year increase. Public markets showed strength, with gaming-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recording gains between 10% and 23% year-to-date. While private market venture funding saw a total of $761 million across 109 deals in the first quarter, activity remains concentrated in early-stage investments, as late-stage funding has slowed significantly compared to the peak levels of 2021. Geographically, Asia led global venture funding in the first quarter, followed by North America and Europe. Emerging markets such as Africa and South America saw sporadic but notable deal activity, highlighting a broader global interest in gaming infrastructure and content. Major industry players currently hold approximately $48 billion in cash and equivalents, suggesting a stable environment for potential future mergers and acquisitions despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny regarding large-scale consolidation. Key industry trends in early 2023 include the integration of artificial intelligence for asset generation and conversational tools, alongside a strategic shift by major tech firms toward cloud-based gaming infrastructure. Competitive dynamics are evolving as Epic Games introduces self-publishing tools to challenge Steam’s market dominance and integrates user-generated content into its Fortnite ecosystem. Furthermore, platforms like Roblox are successfully expanding their reach by aging up their user demographic. These developments, supported by a robust schedule of global industry conferences, indicate a focus on platform scalability, content diversification, and the optimization of developer tools to sustain long-term growth.
Gaming: at a glance • 2023 market size: $201b (+9% YoY) Total gamers in 2022 by region: • Public markets: up 10-20% YTD • Venture funding in Q1 ‘23: $761m across 109 North America rounds (funding is +29% QoQ) Latin America ( 315 219 Key Trends 10%) (7%) • Artificial Intelligence in Gaming Europe (430 3,198m 13%) 1,746 • Regulation update: M&A finalization, TikTok ban (55%) Asia-Pacific • Epic opens up EGS publishing: Going head-to- (488 head with Steam 15%) • Epic brings UGC to its 70m Fortnite MAUs Middle East & Africa • Google’s shift to cloud services • Roblox successfully ages up Source: CB Insights,Newzoo, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, public reporting, Drake Star
> **[Chart page]** This page contains visual data — view in PDF for the best experience. Gaming was a 184b global market in 2022 and estimated to reach 201b in 2023 $ in billions Actual Projected +8.94% $283 $260 $238 $219 20 22 23 26 28 32 42 55 60 64 68 71 77 85 93 107 122 138 152 166 180 184 $201 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 Source: IFPI, Newzoo, Arstechnica, MPAA, Mordor Intelligence
Gaming funding: private markets overview $ in millions Other Transactions<sup>1</sup> VC 2019: 3,568 2020: 6,125 2021: 14,380 2022<sup>2</sup>: 13,970 2023: $898 $6,841 $4,905 3,246 3,716 1,709 4,119 $5,438 2,687 2,513 1,469 1,812 1,156 593 784 817 1,950 1,552 594 1,777 3,196 1,833 $1,177 287 1,035 55 276 1,069 511 2,247 2,308 810 898 626 305 101 658 1,041 1,919 1,470 1,402 1,023 586 $137 529 934 729 541 411 738 591 761 Q1-19 Q2-19 Q3-19 Q4-19 Q1-20 Q2-20 Q3-20 Q4-20 Q1-21 Q2-21 Q3-21 Q4-21 Q1-22 Q2-22 Q3-22 Q4-22 Q1-23 1: Includes transactions such as Private Equity, Growth Equity, Corporate Minorities, PIPEs, and others. This excludes M&A; 2: 2022 data includes ~$4.4b in PIPE activity, primarily from large investments into Playtika, Embracer, Nexon, and NCSoft; Note 1: VC includes Pre-Seed through Series I VC; Note 2: Historical data across reports is subject to change, as source adds new deals as they become public; Source: CB Insights
> **[Chart page]** This page contains visual data — view in PDF for the best experience. Gaming VC funding: Returning to pre-2021 levels $ in millions Late Growth Early 2019: 2,498 2020: 2,730 2021: 8,832 2022: 5,324 2023: $761 $3,196 $145 2,247 2,308 1,919 1,470 900 2,189 $0 541 825 0 1,278 $1,402 305 934 150 1,041 438 0 $1,023 0 729 227 411 738 879 631 0 $761 529 197 525 11 164 100 0 440 664 452 591 329 $0 301 0 108 180 360 86 433 363 1,032 862 1,030 771 571 119 $0 228 229 358 225 305 237 430 468 472 432 Q1-19 Q2-19 Q3-19 Q4-19 Q1-20 Q2-20 Q3-20 Q4-20 Q1-21 Q2-21 Q3-21 Q4-21 Q1-22 Q2-22 Q3-22 Q4-22 Q1-23 Note 1: Early = Pre-Seed through Series A, Growth = Series B through D, Late = Series E+ VC; Note 2: Historical data across reports is subject to change, as source adds new deals as they become public; Note 3: CCP in Q1-23 ($40m) is classified as a Series B (unattributed publicly), Believer is classified as two Series A rounds (not tagged as gaming in source); Source: CB Insights
> **[Chart page]** This page contains visual data — view in PDF for the best experience. Gaming VC deals: early-stage is vibrant, late stage is quiet # of deals Late Growth Early 2019: 312 2020: 362 2021: 583 2022: 599 2023: 109 203 22 0 27 1 127 122 131 16 0 119 99 105 21 2 16 0 21 3 11 0 104 109 84 87 81 82 76 11 0 16 2 175 201 5 0 6 0 8 0 60 9 2 10 1 10 1 7 1 137 76 9 0 76 70 71 68 88 87 104 106 107 108 99 103 Q1-19 Q2-19 Q3-19 Q4-19 Q1-20 Q2-20 Q3-20 Q4-20 Q1-21 Q2-21 Q3-21 Q4-21 Q1-22 Q2-22 Q3-22 Q4-22 Q1-23 Note 1: Early = Pre-Seed through Series A, Growth = Series B through D, Late = Series E+ VC; Note 2: Historical data across reports is subject to change, as source adds new deals as they become public; Note 3: CCP in Q1-23 ($40m) is classified as a Series B (unattributed publicly), Believer is classified as two Series A rounds (not tagged as gaming in source); Source: CB Insights
> **[Chart page]** This page contains visual data — view in PDF for the best experience. Gaming in the public markets: up 10-23% YTD Stock performance of Gaming ETFs: ESPO & GAMR, % change from January 2019 YTD change: 160% • ESPO: 23.4% 140% • GAMR: 10.4% 120% 100% KONVO 80% ESPO 60% 40% GAMR 20% 0% -20% 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Source: Public reporting as of April 11, 2023; Note: ESPO seeks to track the MVIS Global Video Gaming and eSports Index (MVESPOTR), GAMR seeks to track EEFund Video Game Tech Index
The analysis presents a comprehensive snapshot of the global gaming industry in the second quarter of 2023, emphasizing the sector’s continued expansion and shifting investment dynamics. The market is projected to reach $201 billion in 2023, reflecting a 9 % year‑over‑year increase, while public gaming ETFs have risen between 10 % and 30 % since the start of the year, underscoring strong investor confidence. Cash reserves across leading public gaming firms total roughly $45 billion, supporting a robust merger‑and‑acquisition environment. Venture capital activity shows a pronounced contraction, with total gaming VC funding falling to $1.23 billion in Q2 2023—a 38 % decline quarter‑on‑quarter—driven primarily by a 60 % drop in growth‑stage investments. The number of deals fell 22 % to 194, with early‑stage financing in North America down about 60 % and Europe remaining essentially flat. Asia remains the most active region, accounting for the majority of growth‑stage capital, while South America’s activity is concentrated in Brazil and Africa recorded no deals during the period. Data are drawn from CB Insights, Newzoo, public market filings and company disclosures, covering all VC rounds from pre‑seed through late‑stage across 2019‑2023. Strategic developments highlighted include Apple’s launch of the Vision Pro spatial computer, Embracer Group’s restructuring toward first‑party IP, and the near‑completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard pending regulatory clearance in the UK, EU and US. Emerging trends point to a new era for user‑generated content, where popular IP will drive platform growth, and the expanding role of generative AI in asset creation, map design and NPC behavior. The report also outlines the 2023 conference calendar and provides a brief profile of Konvoy’s investment focus, assets under management and recent activity in frontier gaming technologies.
The global gaming industry reached a market valuation of $184 billion in 2023, representing a modest year-over-year growth of 0.6%. Despite this stability, the sector experienced a significant contraction in investment activity, with venture funding falling 33% quarter-over-quarter in Q4 to $308 million. This decline reflects a broader normalization of capital flows to pre-pandemic levels, as the industry shifts away from the high-growth, speculative environment of 2021 and 2022. Key industry trends in late 2023 were defined by regulatory and operational restructuring. A landmark legal verdict against Google established that its app store practices constituted an illegal monopoly, forcing potential shifts in how developers distribute content and process payments. Simultaneously, major players like ByteDance began retreating from gaming divisions, while the industry at large grappled with approximately 10,500 layoffs. These workforce reductions were driven by a heightened focus on operational efficiency, the prioritization of high-retention projects, and the consolidation of assets following major mergers and acquisitions. Geographically, North America remains the primary hub for venture capital, though the industry maintains a global footprint with significant activity in Asia and Europe. While venture funding and M&A deal volumes have stabilized, public gaming stocks demonstrated resilience, with leading exchange-traded funds outperforming broader market indices by year-end. Looking forward, the industry is projected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% through 2029, supported by the continued integration of user-generated content platforms and advancements in developer tools that emphasize productivity and cost-effective scaling.
• 2024 market size: $188bn (+2.1% YoY) Total gamers in 2024 by region (millions): • Public markets: leading public gaming ETFs up 22- • 36% YTD (vs S&P 500 = 21%) Middle East & Africa Venture funding in Q3‘ 24: $517m across 92 deals 559 (funding +1% QoQ, number of deals -14% QoQ) (16%) • Epic sidesteps Apple in the EU, sues Google Europe (454 3,422m • Discord launches Activities ...
The analysis presents a comprehensive overview of the global gaming market in 2022 and its projected trajectory to 2027, emphasizing a modest expansion of the sector’s revenue base and a shifting investment landscape. The market reached $184.4 billion in 2022, a 2.3 % year‑over‑year increase, and is forecast to climb to $283 billion by 2027, reflecting an annual growth rate of roughly 9 %. Mobile platforms remain the dominant distribution channel, accounting for $116 billion of consumer spend in 2021, or 64 % of total gaming revenue, while console and emerging XR segments experience divergent pressures. Venture capital activity illustrates a pronounced contraction after a 2021 peak, with total funding falling from $8.8 billion to $5.3 billion in 2022 and growth‑stage deals declining despite a stable number of transactions. Funding for web3 gaming collapsed by 83 % in Latin America and saw a global downturn, driven by concerns over token utility, game quality, and high-profile fraud incidents. Concurrently, regulatory scrutiny intensified, particularly around data‑privacy measures such as Apple’s IDFA and Google’s AAID, which have raised user‑acquisition costs and forced developers to prioritize content depth over advertising efficiency. Corporate liquidity underscores a robust M&A environment: gaming firms collectively hold $47.7 billion in cash, while major tech companies with gaming divisions command $157 billion. Nevertheless, gaming‑focused ETFs underperformed, with ESPO and GAMR posting year‑to‑date declines of 35 % and 37 % respectively. The report draws on a blend of public market data, venture‑capital databases, and industry surveys from sources such as CB Insights, Newzoo, and major console manufacturers, covering all major regions and spanning the period from 2019 through Q4 2022.