Research: Anime, eSports share strong cross-influence
December 1, 2021
According to research by Interpret, across markets including the UK, US, Germany and Japan, anime viewers are twice as likely to watch eSports as non-viewers. In addition to eSports, anime viewers spend more on online gaming than non-viewers.
According to Interpret’s Global Animeasure 2021 report, anime viewers are more likely to play video games (they are approximately 1.5x more likely to be weekly PC/Console gamers than non-viewers), watch game-related streams/video, and spend more on gaming than non-viewers. Anime viewers also play most game genres more than non-viewers.
The over-index is especially high for JRPGs, Visual Novels / Dating Sims, Battle Card Games, MOBAs, and Interactive Story games (2-3x more likely to play these genres compared to non-viewers). There is even a strong overlap among anime viewers and game genres that are not so clearly linked to anime – genres such as First-Person Shooters and Battle Royales.
“Anime has been influencing global entertainment culture for years, but more recently, the winds of change have reversed course, and the world is transforming anime. Thanks to the rise of simulcasts, simuldubs, and co-productions, anime enthusiasts around the globe have greater influence over production than ever before,” said John McCallum, Interpret’s Senior Research Manager, Japan.