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3 in 10 Brits Have Skipped a Shower or a Meal to Play Video Games in Lockdown

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More Brits than ever played video games last year to beat the boredom of staying home, and our third lockdown in 2021 has seen the trend gain even more traction. With games being released on more platforms, and more genres than ever now is an excellent time to be a gamer!

Fresh Student Living took a deep dive into the gaming industry in the UK to see just what an impact Covid has had on gaming.

More than four in ten UK gamers say they’ve been gaming more during the COVID-19 outbreak (43%). Plus, UK gamers now make up over two thirds of the population (67%); six in ten of this group say they play mobile games (52%); a quarter PC games (25%); and three in ten console games (28%).

When the pandemic first put a stop to everyday life, the gaming world expanded with regular players putting in even more time, and new people joining the trend to connect with friends, kill time and indulge in much-needed escapism. As more people picked up controllers, the UK gaming population exploded by a whopping 63%! People reported feeling happier and calmer, with a higher sense of freedom, thanks to how immersive the best video games are.

The Average Gamer Spent the Equivalent of 39 Days Playing Last Year

Games like FIFA 21, Call of Duty, Animal Crossing and Last of Us were some of the most played games of 2020, with 3 in 10 people skipping showers and meals to play uninterrupted. Almost 6 in 10 Brits also admit to losing sleep due to gaming sessions.

Pre lockdown, the average gamer spent around 13 hours a week playing their favourites. This increased by 5 hours during lockdown with Brits spending 18 hours or more exploring new worlds online – that’s equivalent to 39 whole days spent gaming!

The average gamer usually sets aside a conservative 1-3 hours to play, but in the UK, at least 3% of the population confesses to playing for 15 hours or more in one sitting.

What Video Games is Everyone Playing?

Most Played Video Games of 2020 According to Units Sold

FIFA 21 dominated in 2020 as one of the most anticipated games in the UK, with around 14 games selling per second in the UK last year.

  1. FIFA 21 (2.18 million)
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1.4 million)
  3. Grand Theft Auto 5 (1.1 million)
  4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (800,000)
  5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (660,000)
  6. The Last of Us Part II (530,000)
  7. NBA 2K20 (480,000)
  8. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (430,000)

More Brits Are Hooked on Video Games

Lockdown has given us all more time to kill, and today the split between male and female video gamers is strictly 50-50. In the UK, 54% of men and women play a game most days, lowering stress and connecting with others being two of the primary motivators.

Multiplayer Games Keep us Connected

With time to kill and social distancing in effect for most of last year, multiplayer games’ popularity soared as more people jumped online to chat and connect. Even ex-gamers again picked up their controllers to join online communities playing games like Call of Duty, Animal Crossing or Fortnite.

Unsurprisingly, lockdown saw most Brits opt for action-packed and interactive genres, with most gamers choosing fighting, action and huge multiplayer Battle Royale games with lots of other players!

Most played genres in 2020

  • Fighting – 81%
  • Action – 79%
  • Massively multiplayer online games – 78%
  • Multiplayer online battle arena games – 75%

The Rise of Covideogamers in 2021

Lockdown has massively changed the gaming community across the world. In the UK, younger gamers spend loads of time playing while self-isolating and spend around two hours a month watching other people play online – a pastime that has increased since lockdown began.

The pandemic has also created a whole new subgenre of gamers known as Covideogamers, who exclusively started gaming during lockdown. Compared to 36% of existing gamers between the ages of 18 – 34, Covideogamers now make up 46% of the population in the same age group – 35% of these new gamers have also admitted it’s so relaxing and stress-relieving, they’re going to start playing more, long after lockdown ends!

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Secure Some Sweet Treats With BGaming’s Sugar Merge Up™

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BGaming, the popular iGaming content provider, is serving up a sugary treat with the launch of Sugar Merge Up™, the latest addition to its #Entertainment slot portfolio.

Players are invited into a candy-coloured world guided by a playful jelly bear mascot. Set on a 6×6 cluster-pay grid, the game is packed with brightly coloured sweets and candy, offering a vibrant and fun-filled experience.

Returning from BGaming’s previous hit, Merge Up™, the cascade-style Merge Up™ mechanic allows winning symbols to merge and upgrade to the next highest-paying symbol, creating opportunities for even bigger wins on subsequent cascades.

Building on the gameplay of Merge Up™ 2, Sugar Merge Up™ introduces exciting new ways to form combos. The standout addition is the Bubblegum symbol, which explodes to destroy up to eight surrounding symbols, boosts multipliers in those cells, and then transforms into a Scatter.

Landing Scatters is key to triggering the Free Spins bonus, with up to 30 free spins available. Players can extend the feature by landing three or more Scatters during the bonus round.

For those eager to jump straight into the action, Sugar Merge Up™ offers six Buy Bonus options, including:

  • Chance ×2 – doubles the multiplier for ×1.2 the stake
  • Random Booster – applies random multipliers up to ×128 on each spin for ×10 the bet
  • Booster ×16 – ensures ×16 multipliers cover the grid on every spin for ×40 the stake
  • Free Spins Buy Bonus – prices range from ×100 to ×500, giving players flexible access to the bonus round

Julia Alekseeva, CPO at BGaming, commented:
“Sugar Merge Up™ takes everything players loved about Merge Up™ 2 and makes it even sweeter. The added bonus features boost engagement, while the multiple Booster and Buy Bonus options give players plenty of flexibility. The candy theme is always a hit, and combining it with the explosive Merge Up™ mechanic was a natural next step.”

The post Secure Some Sweet Treats With BGaming’s Sugar Merge Up™ appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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FANS World Cup

Kiron Interactive introduces FANS World Cup ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

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Kiron Interactive has unveiled FANS World Cup, a fast-paced football betting product designed to keep players engaged during the 2026 international tournament, particularly in between live matches when traffic typically dips.

Built on Kiron’s Goal Premier Engine, FANS World Cup integrates seamlessly into existing operator deployments with no additional cost or technical requirements.

The game features international teams competing in matches that resolve in just 60 to 90 seconds, giving players frequent opportunities to bet during breaks in the live schedule. By offering standalone mini-matches, the platform helps operators maintain player activity and reduce drop-off between fixtures.

Using familiar national teams ensures players stay connected to the real tournament, keeping the football context consistent rather than losing engagement between matches.

FANS World Cup covers all core betting markets, including full-time result, correct score, goalscorers, and card outcomes. Operators can also configure jackpot features and bonus multipliers to match their preferred risk profiles.

Steven Spartinos, Co-CEO of Kiron Interactive, commented:
“Tournament traffic comes in waves, and the challenge is keeping players engaged in between matches. FANS World Cup addresses that by offering short, exciting match cycles while staying connected to the teams fans are already following. It helps operators maintain steady engagement throughout the full tournament schedule.”

The post Kiron Interactive introduces FANS World Cup ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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DEGEN Studios

DEGEN Studios ignites a brutal blood feud with Vendetta Fury

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DEGEN Studios has launched Vendetta Fury, a high-volatility slot built around the relentless clash between two powerful forces: Vandal and Havoc.

Vandal embodies chaos and disruption, bending the rules of the grid and reshaping its structure. In contrast, Havoc represents controlled destruction, linking symbols through Wild Beams that build intensity before unleashing their full impact.

This ongoing feud fuels the entire gameplay experience, creating a world where revenge is never settled and every spin feels charged with tension. Wins can accumulate gradually before key features ignite, shifting the balance between the two rivals. Expanding Wilds and multiplier mechanics work together to rapidly transform the grid, turning calm moments into explosive payouts.

The action peaks in the Apocalypse bonus mode, where both Vandal and Havoc appear simultaneously. Their combined mechanics drive a shared global multiplier, dramatically increasing volatility and making outcomes far less predictable as their battle for dominance plays out across the reels.

Danny Gordon, Head of Studio at DEGEN Studios, said:
“A vendetta doesn’t fade — it builds until something finally breaks. That idea is at the core of Vendetta Fury. Vandal and Havoc are locked in an escalating conflict that shapes every part of the game, including its three evolving bonus modes, where control constantly shifts between the two sides.”

“In this world, there’s no forgiveness and no restraint — only rising tension and revenge paid in full.”

The post DEGEN Studios ignites a brutal blood feud with Vendetta Fury appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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