Canada

FANDOM’S INSIDE GAMING REPORT UNCOVERS THE MINDSET & MOTIVATIONS OF GAMERS ACROSS GENERATIONS

Published

3 years ago

April 13, 2023

Video game franchises have taken mainstream media by storm and gaming as a pastime is showing no signs of slowing down – its a hobby that has captured the cultural zeitgeist and crossed generational lines, and there’s no such thing as a ‘typical gamer’ any more. Now more than ever the industry needs to adopt a more nuanced and generational approach to game development & marketing in order to make a true impact with gaming fans.

Fandom’s Inside Gaming report couples Fandom’s robust, proprietary user data with a custom global study that examines how gamer motivations and behaviors vary by generation and provides a playbook for the gaming industry at large on how to truly understand the mindset of a gaming fan. The findings from the 2023 Inside Gaming report will help brands stand out in this increasingly crowded marketplace while giving them the tools to identify, interact and more precisely connect with today’s gaming audience. This deep dive into the generational differences in gaming uncovered findings in three key areas:

Brand & Advertising Impact – examines generational motivations on gaming influence and intent to purchase, as well as which advertiser categories and specific brands are primed to make a huge splash with gamers
Gamer Motivations by Generation – explores the differences between major generational groups and their motivations & influence within the gaming space

Co-Gaming – highlights positive findings around gaming between parents & kids while also providing unique insights to fuel advertising strategies when aligning with families in the gaming space

KEY FINDINGS:

Over the past five years, engagement with gaming has increased across every demographic, platform, and genre – 45% of gamers are spending more time gaming than ever before
80% of gamers of all ages are interested in playing games regardless of whether they are already fans of a franchise – which creates significant opportunities for content creators as they look to mine alternate IP for new gaming franchises
Despite teens and Gen Z spending more time gaming than they did last year, older generations of players are spending more hours per week gaming
Building off that, Millennials are a key (and untapped) audience in gaming – 52% of Millennials rank gaming as their #1 interest

75% of Fandom gamers eat and drink while gaming, making Food & Beverage a key non-endemic category for gamers
More parents and guardians are seeing benefits of gaming with their kids than ever before: co-gaming parents are +83% more likely to agree that gaming fosters leadership skills, +77% more likely to agree it teaches important life skills and +38% more likely to agree it establishes teamwork & collaboration
Top 5 games parents play with their kids are Mario (50%), Minecraft (48%), Roblox (37%), Super Smash Bros (33%) and Kirby (32%)

“More than 150 million gaming fans come to Fandom and our 100K+ gaming communities each month, allowing us to unlock precise and unmatched insights about gamers across generations and platforms,” said Stephanie Fried, Fandom’s CMO. “These new insights into the behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of today’s gamers will enable marketers and studio leadership to drive better fan experiences and incremental revenue.”

The study uncovered huge opportunities for brands to more strategically tap into gaming audiences – namely in the CPG and QSR industries – and identified the generations that represent the biggest untapped opportunity for marketers. Findings include:

86% of Fandom gamers are influenced to purchase a brand or product that invests significantly in the gaming space, and nearly half are heavily influenced to do so.
Millennials are the largest untapped target in the gaming space:
40% of Fandom’s Millennial audience spend over 22 hours per week gaming, compared to only 29% of tweens.
Influence to purchase brands that have investments in the gaming space gets stronger with age: Millennials are more than +24% more likely to be heavily influenced to purchase compared to the average user on Fandom.

75% of Fandom gamers eat and drink while gaming, making the Food & Beverage industry one of the most influential outside categories for gamers.
Gamers are +71% more likely to be most inclined to purchase Caffeinated Energy Drinks that heavily invest in the gaming space, ranking highest among F&B categories.
Snacks, soft drinks, and “Heat & Serve” meals trailed with 58%, 42% and 39%, respectively.
Gaming-adjacent items are extremely important to the game-play experience: Fandom gamers rank high speed internet (88%) peripherals (i.e. mouse, keyboard etc.) (74%) and gaming accessories (i.e. gaming chair) (41%) as most critical to their gaming experience

There isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to understanding and marketing to gaming audiences. Motivation and influence vary by generation, so it’s critical to understand the mindset of a gaming fan in order to make a true impact in the marketplace. Findings include:

Overall, 45% of gamers are spending more time gaming; and while Millennials are spending more time gaming per week, the biggest growth in overall time spent gaming vs last year was seen among tweens and teens, with 63% and 48%, respectively.
The top-ranking factors for trying new games are: (1) game quality, followed by (2) storyline & plot, then (3) design and visuals, suggesting that gamers across the board are looking for more immersive and engaging experiences.
Still, younger generations are more likely to be influenced by “cultural hype” while older audiences are more influenced by the immersive and deep characters and storylines.
This points to the importance of building strategies to cater to different audiences – building viral programs that lead to cultural buzz is key to aligning with younger audiences while building programs that allow players to immerse themselves in the universe & connect to the characters and storyline is key for older audiences.

The top-ranking overall motivations for Fandom gamers are:
Stress relief (48%)
Relaxation (47%)
Escapism (45%)
Younger generations of gamers are more interested in competitive gaming and making social connections, while older gamers gravitate more toward games with potential for intellectual stimulation.
Among gaming genres, adventure, sandbox, survival and fighting games are most popular with Fandom gamers of all ages.
Tweens, however, are most likely to play battle royal (49%), racing (46%) and survival games (39%); while millennials gravitate more toward MMO (41%), strategy (27%) and RPG (26%) genres, with games like Elden Ring or World of Warcraft.
The biggest drivers for Gen Z and Millennials are character and storyline, with rich and complex backgrounds; while younger gamers gravitate more toward competitive games, with an emphasis on coordinated teamwork.

With the gaming industry booming, time spent gaming increasing, and gaming IP’s seeing huge success crossing over into TV and movies, gaming as a pastime is here to stay. Interestingly, the findings uncover benefits for parents co-gaming with their kids, as well as co-gaming motivations by age group:

Within the co-gaming ecosystem, gaming isn’t the only motivator for parents and their children. They also enjoy discussing strategy (47%) and research (37%).

Parents who choose to game with their kids do so for these main reasons:
As a fun activity to do together (56%)
Kids ask them to play (44%)
Parents are avid gamers themselves and want to continue the trend (41%)
Age does affect behavioral motivations in co-gaming, particularly among parents with children aged 3-8 as they are +89% more likely to co-game in order to better understand the content of the games their kids are playing.

Parents of teens are +46% more likely to play games with their kids.

The top-ranking benefits of gaming for parents include:
Establishes teamwork and collaboration (33%)
Teaches important life lessons (26%)
Fosters leadership skills (25%)
The leading games for parents to co-game with kids 7-12 years old are Super Smash Brothers, Fortnite and Roblox.
Parents who co-game with their teenage children aged 13-17 play Rocket League, Cuphead and Splatoon.

Methodology:

The 2023 Inside Gaming report identifies macro-level entertainment patterns and trends based on a survey of 15,000 Global Fandom users. These insights were validated and deepened through Fandom’s robust user data – more than 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content across 250,000 wikis – and qualitative and quantitative insights from Fandom’s proprietary fan panel. This methodology provides a 360-degree view of what’s happening in the gaming landscape through the eyes of Fandom.

Alberta

Peter & Sons Enters Alberta with Full Game Portfolio

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

peter-&-sons-enters-alberta-with-full-game-portfolio

Innovative iGaming studio Peter & Sons has entered Alberta with its full game portfolio, marking another major step in the studio’s regulated North American expansion.

The launch brings Peter & Sons’ complete catalogue to one of Canada’s most closely watched iGaming markets, as Alberta continues to develop its regulated online gaming framework. Following the growth of Ontario’s regulated model, Alberta represents an important new chapter for suppliers looking to build long-term presence across Canada.

Alberta offers a strong opportunity for Peter & Sons, combining a clear regulatory direction with a growing appetite for high-quality digital casino content. Players in the province will gain access to the studio’s full portfolio, from visually distinctive slots and recognizable characters from games like Barbarossa: Dragon Empire, The Soapranos, Greedy Alice and many others.

Renowned for its creative direction and distinctive approach to game development, Peter & Sons continues to expand across regulated markets worldwide. The Alberta entry reflects the studio’s commitment to growing its North American footprint while bringing its complete catalogue to markets where originality, performance, and player engagement all matter.

Lauryn Duncan, Head of Sales at Peter & Sons, said: “Alberta is an exciting new market for Peter & Sons and an important step in our North American growth. Launching with our full portfolio gives us the chance to introduce the complete Peter & Sons experience from day one, from the art and characters to the mechanics and worlds that define our games. It is a market with strong potential, and we are proud to bring our games to players there.”

The post Peter & Sons Enters Alberta with Full Game Portfolio appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Alberta

Gaming Corps goes live with bet365 in Alberta on day one of regulated market

Published

2 hours ago

July 16, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

gaming-corps-goes-live-with-bet365-in-alberta-on-day-one-of-regulated-market

Gaming Corps has launched its online casino content with bet365 in Alberta on the first day of the province’s regulated market opening on 13 July 2026, while also expanding its content distribution with the operator in Ontario and Spain.

The Sweden-based game developer said it is among the first wave of studios fully certified for Alberta’s newly regulated market. Gaming Corps will support bet365’s Alberta entry with more than 50 games at launch, spanning Slots, Table, Plinko, Mine Games and Instant Blitz.

As part of the expanded partnership, Gaming Corps said bet365 will also gain access to its football-themed titles, including Penalty Champion: Goals to Glory, and its 3 Pigs franchise, including 3 Pigs of Olympus, 3 Pigs of Olympus 2: Rise of the DemiHog, and 3 Pigs of the Caribbean.

The rollout also includes Gaming Corps’ Low RTP Blackjack titles, which the company said are designed around 93.57% RTP and approximately 6% operator hold, with flexible branding options and side-bet mechanics.

Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “Extending our partnership with bet365 across Spain, Ontario and Alberta is a major moment for Gaming Corps, but Alberta is the real statement here. Going live with bet365 from day one reflects the work our teams have put into certification, onboarding and ensuring we can move quickly and confidently with major operator partners.

“As one of the earliest studios ready for Alberta, we’ll be bringing more than 50 titles to the province. That breadth matters, because it gives operators like bet365 a single partner across multiple verticals, with content designed to support acquisition, engagement and retention across different player segments. Spain and Ontario are also important regulated markets for us and expanding with a global operator of this scale highlights how far Gaming Corps has come in a short period of time.”

Richard Graham, Associate VP of Gaming at bet365at bet365 said: “Gaming Corps has become a valuable content partner, combining recognisable game identities with formats that add variety across our casino offering. We are pleased to extend the partnership into Spain, Ontario and Alberta, with the Alberta launch particularly important as part of our day-one commitment to the market.

“Expanding the relationship across multiple territories in a relatively short period reflects the strength of the collaboration, as well as the Gaming Corps team’s clear product direction, commitment and continued development as a game vendor. We look forward to giving players access to a wide-ranging portfolio from the moment the market opens.”

The post Gaming Corps goes live with bet365 in Alberta on day one of regulated market appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Alberta

Gaming Corps goes live with bet365 in Alberta on regulated market day one

Published

3 hours ago

July 16, 2026

Wladimir P.

gaming-corps-goes-live-with-bet365-in-alberta-on-regulated-market-day-one

Deal expands bet365 casino rollout in Spain and Ontario, with 50+ Gaming Corps titles certified for Alberta from 13 July 2026.

Gaming Corps has launched with bet365 in Alberta on the first day of the province’s regulated iGaming market opening (13 July 2026), while also expanding its content footprint with the operator in Spain and Ontario.

The Sweden-based, publicly listed game developer said it is among the first wave of studios certified for Alberta, supporting bet365’s entry with more than 50 games available at launch. The day-one portfolio spans Slots, Table, Plinko, Mine Games and Instant Blitz.

Gaming Corps said the expanded partnership includes its football-themed titles, including Penalty Champion: Goals to Glory, plus the 3 Pigs series (3 Pigs of Olympus, 3 Pigs of Olympus 2: Rise of the DemiHog and 3 Pigs of the Caribbean).

The rollout also brings Gaming Corps’ new Low RTP Blackjack titles to bet365, which the supplier said are designed around 93.57% RTP and approximately 6% operator hold, with side-bet mechanics and flexible branding options.

Richard Graham, Associate VP of Gaming at bet365 at said: “Gaming Corps has become a valuable content partner, combining recognisable game identities with formats that add variety across our casino offering. We are pleased to extend the partnership into Spain, Ontario and Alberta, with the Alberta launch particularly important as part of our day-one commitment to the market.

The post Gaming Corps goes live with bet365 in Alberta on regulated market day one appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.