8 Top Video Game Stories Of 2021 And How Developer Stocks Performed This Year

One of the major storylines of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic was the boost of stay-at-home stocks that included video games. Up against tough comparable sales, video game stocks saw a strong 2021.

Here are some of the top video game storylines and stock stories of the year.

Amazon Gaming Gets A Hit: Announced back in 2016, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) “New World” from Amazon.com Inc AMZN faced multiple delays before hitting the market. The game was launched in September 2021 and became a hit.

On Steam, “New World” was the top game on its launch day with 758,543 peak concurrent viewers, ranking second for all games in a 30-day period. The game ranks fifth of all-time on Steam for concurrent players. “New World” was the second most viewed category on Twitch, behind the generic “Just Chatting.”

The hit game from Amazon continues to rank in the top 20 of most streamed games on Twitch and could continue to boost Amazon’s gaming segment.

Related Link: If You Invested $1,000 In Amazon When It Acquired Twitch, Here's How Much You'd Have Now 

Netflix Gets Into Video Games: A rumored launch of video games by Netflix Inc NFLX came to be true in 2021 with the streaming giant launching its first five games, including two based on its “Stranger Things” franchise.

Netflix has plans to launch more games, including a spinoff of the “League of Legends” video game franchise. Netflix is also utilizing video games to create movies and series.

Minecraft Hits Big Milestone: YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL celebrated Minecraft passing one trillion views on the video platform recently. The milestone came as Minecraft remains one of the most popular games for others to watch being played and continues to generate millions of active players after over 10 years since its release.

Mojang Studios, the company behind Minecraft, was acquired by Microsoft Corp MSFT in September 2014.

Activision Blizzard Comes Under Fire: One of the more publicized mainstream stories in the video game sector was the allegation of poor workplace conditions at Activision Blizzard ATVI. The company announced several management changes and CEO Bobby Kotick shared steps the company would take to change the work culture.

The company faced an SEC investigation, lawsuits and employee walkouts throughout the year. Activision Blizzard could also see several game franchises delayed.

Grand Theft Auto V Still Monster Hit: Gamers and Take-Two Interactive Software TTWO investors have eagerly been awaiting a new Graft Theft Auto game since “Grand Theft Auto V” was released in 2013. The eight-year-old game remains a massive hit for Take-Two. The company reported the game was one of the largest contributors to revenue and bookings in the third quarter.

The game was also the most viewed video game on Twitch in 2021 racking up 2.1 billion hours streamed. “Grand Theft Auto V” trailed only “Just Chatting” for hours streamed on Twitch and came in well ahead of second place game “League of Legends” at 1.8 billion hours streamed.

Call of Duty, Sports Games Top List: Through November, the top two selling video games have been “Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War” and “Call of Duty: Vanguard,” showing the strength of the annual franchise from Activision Blizzard. Ranking third and fourth for top-selling games on the year are “Madden NFL 22” and “MLB: The Show 21.”

Nintendo Switch Stays Hot: The console from Nintendo Co NTDOY continued a long streak of being the top-selling game system by units. Exclusive Switch games “Super Mario 3D World” and “Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl” ranked seventh and eighth respectively for video game sales in 2021 (through November) despite being only available on the Switch.

The Switch was knocked down from its top spot in the month of September by the Playstation 5 from Sony Corp SONY, ending a 33-month streak for the Switch for most units sold.

GameStop Becomes Major Stock Story: Boosted by retail traders and investing communities like WallStreetBets, video game retailer GameStop Corp GME became one of the biggest stories of 2021. The stock soared in January as a “David vs. Goliath” storyline of retail traders against hedge funds and short sellers.

Shares of GameStop are up 687% in 2021 and traded between $17.08 and $483 throughout 2021.

Stock Performance: Here’s a look at how the top video game stocks performed in 2021:

• GameStop: +687.2%
• Microsoft Corp: +54.0%
• Sony Group: +25.8%
• Turtle Beach Corp HEAR: +11.9%
• Amazon.com Inc: +4.2%
• Unity Software U: -3.6%
• Electronic Arts Inc EA: -7.4%
• Take-Two Interactive: -13.6%
• Tencent Holdings TCEHY: -17.4%
• Nintendo: -23.9%
• Activision Blizzard: -29.5%

Related Link: 4 Reasons Why Sega Could Be A Top Video Game Pick In 2022