Canada

The first-ever survey of online gaming connectivity finds gamers quit in droves when experiencing latency issues

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2022

An independent survey by Canadian start-up Edgegap of 2,000 US and UK-based gamers set out to find to what degree issues including latency and lag impact their gaming experience, delivering the first report dedicated to understanding the state of latency in online games

Edgegap, a Canada-based startup and pioneer in edge computing industry & infrastructure automation, today unveiled unique research examining gamers’ experiences and frustrations around online connectivity. The report, Online Gaming Connectivity Report 2022, draws insights from an in-depth survey of 2,000 regular gamers in the UK and USA across console, PC and mobile, asking them to share their top frustrations when it comes to the performance of online games and how they perceive key issues like lag and latency.

Virtually all (97%) of gamers who took the survey had experienced lag at some point, and half (50%) said that lag and latency were their top frustration. More worryingly for game companies was the 51% of respondents who blamed their latency issues on a game’s developers or the company managing the servers, showing that reputational damage is a real risk. Many of the findings suggest that not enough is being done to ensure a smooth gaming experience for many players.

Edgegap partnered with an independent research firm Bryter in order to capture unbiased information from over 2000 gamers based in the UK and USA. The gamers were aged 18-55 and regularly played popular online games like Fortnite, Call of Duty and Minecraft, with a near-even split across PC, mobile and console. The respondents chosen for the research played online games on average for between eight and nine hours every week.

Key findings:

39% of gamers find latency issues to be their top frustration, with pay-to-win mechanics (38%) and online toxicity (30%) coming close behind
42% of the gamers we spoke to told us latency issues stop them from playing as much as they’d like
While many gamers try quick fixes to solve the issue, 44% of gamers stop playing and try again later, and nearly a quarter (24%) quit and play something else
51% of gamers blame latency issues on the game developers or the company managing the servers
20% of gamers experience latency issues frequently, with the problem even more prevalent on mobile (30%)

The report also reveals the most frequent ways players responded to latency issues – such as stopping playing, switching games, or shortening their playtime. Game companies could be losing significant revenues because players are switching to different titles due to poor network infrastructure – especially since many games are now built around a games-as-a-service model which relies heavily on different monetisation strategies, like in-game purchases.

“Given this is the first research of its kind, it’s fascinating to finally see tangible data confirm what we’ve always suspected; that even today, lag and latency are ubiquitous issues in gaming,” said Mathieu Dupurré, CEO and Founder of Edgegap. “The data has shown in no uncertain terms that latency issues have a big impact on gamers’ enjoyment and they often simply stop playing when they encounter latency and will blame the gaming companies or service providers. I hope this report serves as a wake-up call to the industry to make a renewed drive to improve their network infrastructure.”

The survey also turned up some interesting disparities across demographics. For example, latency was ranked as more of an issue for female gamers, but they are less likely than male gamers to invest in new hardware to combat the problem. Equally, younger players (18-24) are less likely to invest in new hardware but are more likely to quit a game session compared to their older counterparts.

Canada

Play’n GO announces partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec

Published

18 hours ago

May 16, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

play’n-go-announces-partnership-with-canadian-operator-loto-quebec

Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a partnership with Canadian operator Loto-Québec, launching the Swedish gaming giant’s games into another Canadian province.

Already active in another Canadian province , this partnership sees Play’n GO’s content available in the province of Québec exclusively with Loto-Québec, a state-owned corporation, where online players now have access to titles such as Tome of Madness.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer, Play’n GO said: “At Play’n GO, we have always been clear in our vision to be active in every regulated market in the world, and this partnership with Loto-Québec is the next step on that journey.

“Our past success in Canada gives us confidence that players in Québec will enjoy the best Play’n GO content, and we look forward to many years of success with Loto-Québec in the province.”

Stéphane Martel, Head of Product and Innovation at Loto-Québec added: “As the sole iGaming operator in Québec, we pride ourselves on offering titles that truly add value to our platform, lotoquebec.com. We are happy to bring Play’n GO games to our players.”

Canada

Court Decision Upholds iGaming Ontario’s Model

Published

2 days ago

May 15, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

court-decision-upholds-igaming-ontario’s-model

iGaming Ontario has welcomed the decision of the Ontario Superior Court, which found that iGaming Ontario’s model is consistent with the Criminal Code and that iGaming Ontario is conducting and managing igaming in the province.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

“Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario,” Otton added.

In dismissing the application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK), the Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario is the “operating mind” behind Ontario’s competitive igaming market in accordance with the conduct and manage requirements of the Criminal Code.

iGaming Ontario will continue to conduct and manage igaming as it has since the launch of the regulated market on April 4, 2022.

Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Appoints Renowned iGaming Executive Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer

Published

7 days ago

May 10, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

bragg-gaming-appoints-renowned-igaming-executive-neill-whyte-as-chief-commercial-officer

Bragg Gaming Group, a global iGaming technology and content provider, announced that Neill Whyte has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1st May 2024, establishing a new global commercial structure at the Company and bolstering its leadership team.

Whyte brings over 18 years of experience in the iGaming sector, most recently in the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation’s (DGC), B2B iGaming Division. After joining DGC in early 2020, he was responsible for the commercially successful launch and growth of its content distribution business in the US.

Prior to joining DGC, Whyte held multiple positions in the gaming industry including as Head of Business Development at Isle of Man-based iGaming specialist Apricot Investments, as Board Member at Swedish iGaming product and Lottery content distributor Genera Networks, and in various senior roles over eleven years at leading iGaming content supplier Microgaming, including as Head of Product Channels.

In his new role with Bragg, Whyte will be tasked with leading the Company’s global commercial teams to drive growth across all of the Company’s product verticals which include proprietary online casino content from its Atomic Slot Lab, Indigo Magic and Wild Streak Gaming studios, exclusive content from content partners, HUB a leading casino content aggregation platform, Fuze player engagement, as well as its award-winning player account management (PAM) platform and turnkey solutions.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer at Bragg, said: “I am very pleased to be announcing today the appointment of Neill Whyte as Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg. His iGaming product and market knowledge, together with his record in driving growth from developing successful and mutually beneficial commercial partnerships are exceptional.

“As we leverage our broad content and product portfolio to grow in existing and new markets, including in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, Neill’s unique combination of knowledge, skills and experience in this sector are a perfect fit for our ambitions at Bragg.”

Neill Whyte, Chief Commercial Officer at Bragg, said: “It’s an honor to join Matevž and the wider teams at Bragg already in place across North America, Europe and in India. I have been impressed with the depth and quality of the content, product and technology offerings at Bragg, and its ability to rapidly adapt, certify and deploy this content and technology in newly regulated markets is a distinct advantage.

“We also have a huge opportunity to grow our footprint with our existing customers in markets in which we are already established. Our content and product roadmaps are second to none, and I’m planning to get on the road in the coming weeks and months to meet the team and our customers and to start building for the next stage of mutual growth. I can’t wait to get going.”