Palm Beach, Fla., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The industry of watching other people play video games continues to surge in popularity. In its infancy back in 2017, around 666 million people around the globe tuned in to gaming video content made by fans and publishers. That number grew to over 740 million by 2019… and in 2020 the audience for gaming video content (GVC) grew to reach 1.2 billion viewers, according to Statista. This represents a 18 percent growth from the previous period, as gaming streams became a popular social activity and distraction during coronavirus-related lockdowns. In the United States, the popular types of gaming video content among internet users are game trailers, walkthroughs designed to serve as tutorials for other players, professional and amateur video reviews, as well as Let's Play, which offers detailed recordings of gameplay along with commentary by an online gaming personality. According to Statista, the leading platforms for viewing gaming video content are YouTube and Twitch. YouTube Gaming channel, which has taken the video game market by storm since its launch in August 2015, was considered the primary source for gaming content for a long time. Today, with a 44 percent viewer reach, YouTube maintains its position among the biggest global outlets for gaming videos. At the same time, Amazon-owned live streaming platform, Twitch, with contents aimed at the most dedicated high spending gamers, accounted for the largest share of market revenue, saying: "In 2020, Twitch accounted for 22 percent of gaming video content revenues in the measured period. Gaming video content is rapidly gaining traction as substitutes for social interaction and entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many smaller video streaming services have shut down or consolidated in 2020, leaving Twitch and YouTube as the most significant platforms."    Active tech companies in the markets this week include Versus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: VS), Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) (TSX: SHOP), PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL), Lightspeed (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR).

The platform was founded in 2011 and focuses on video game playthroughs, broadcasts of eSports competitions and, more recently, creative content, where users are able to interact during live chats broadcasted in real time. Recent figures, however, show that in comparison to YouTube Gaming Live, Twitch has a larger number of streamers, as well as a higher number of viewers. In terms of user age distribution, both platforms fare similarly.  Alongside branded content, popular online gaming personalities help drive much of the traffic for gaming videos.   Another report from ReseachAndMarkets.com added: "The eSports market is still in its initial stage, and with the growing viewership and increasing popularity, it is anticipated that it will offer strong potential to capitalize on the game streaming market in the future… Mobile game streaming is a recent phenomenon that is expected to flourish in the market exponentially…. Thus, with the increasing penetration of smartphones and rising mobile streamers, it is expected that this will drive market growth in the future." 

Versus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: VS) BREAKING NEWS:  Versus Systems Launching Shopify App To Add Ecommerce and Small Business Reward - Versus announces beta test of Shopify app to enable ecommerce and small businesses to offer their company's rewards inside games, apps, streaming media and live events - Versus Systems today announced the beta launch of their proprietary rewards platform, now accessible via a Shopify app that empowers businesses running Shopify to promote their products, drive trial and conversion, and grow awareness and sales through prizing and rewards.

Versus' prize-based advertising app allows Shopify partners to connect their stores to the Versus ad platform, where they can then serve their products, coupons, offers, and product samples to audiences inside a wide variety of apps, games, and shows.  Versus' engagement platform already works with a number of games, apps, streams, and live events, including the apps of multiple NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA teams. 

Based on the ideas of choice and earned-reward, Shopify shops participating in the test will be able to offer their products and discounts to audiences as part of in-game challenges that players can earn with their in-game play. Participating businesses will also take advantage of Versus' dynamic regulatory compliance engine, which manages state and federal regulatory and legal guidelines that apply to contests, promotional prizing, and giveaways. 

"We love Shopify. Their relentless focus on people, and on helping businesses grow - the work they do to make ecommerce better for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes - it's really inspiring. And it works. They're a huge part of nearly two million businesses and a nearly five trillion dollar global ecommerce economy. At Versus, we want to empower the millions of Shopify entrepreneurs with new ways to promote their products and reach new audiences using our unique prizing and reward technology," said Matthew Pierce, CEO of Versus Systems.   Read this and more news for Versus Systems  at:  https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-vs/

In other gaming news:
Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) (TSX: SHOP), a leading global commerce company, recently announced strong financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

"More entrepreneurs around the world are choosing Shopify to launch and grow their businesses, and for good reason," said Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's President. "Our singular focus is on making entrepreneurship easier, and making it easier for entrepreneurs to succeed. Merchant sales growth on our platform accelerated in the first quarter as merchants leveraged our modern commerce technology, which helps them compete in any retail environment and engage directly with their customers wherever they are."

"Shopify's momentum continued into 2021 as digital commerce tailwinds remained strong and merchants took advantage of the range of capabilities offered by our platform," said Amy Shapero, Shopify's CFO. "We are focused on building a commerce operating system that will help shape the future of retail. Our merchant-first business model positions us to capture the massive opportunity presented by the growth of digital commerce, benefiting both our merchants and Shopify."

PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) recently announced it will deposit $135 million of its capital into mission-driven financial institutions and management funds that help underserved communities of color to fight barriers to economic equity.

"By partnering with financial institutions that have deep ties to Black and other underserved communities of color, we can create economic opportunity and make tangible progress toward closing the racial wealth gap," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO, PayPal. "Addressing systemic economic disparities and injustice will take sustained action across the private and public sectors. We are committed to doing our part to break the cycle of inequality."

Lightspeed (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, recently announced it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire two global leaders in digital commerce. Once closed, the acquisitions will provide Lightspeed customers new entry points to the digital economy, unprecedented supply chain management as well as increased opportunities to provide outstanding customer experiences online.

Over the past year, commerce has fundamentally transformed for the businesses that make up the backbone of the global economy. New businesses need fast and easy ways to sell online, while established merchants plan to invest even more in the tools and experiences that will unite their digital and physical operations. Lightspeed will acquire Ecwid, a US-based best-in-class global eCommerce platform, that allows customers to create standalone businesses in minutes. Once integrated, the combination of Lightspeed and Ecwid will help merchants to reach shoppers where they are, whether on social media or digital marketplaces, ushering in newfound selling flexibility and omnichannel experiences.

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), a global enterprise technology provider for the financial industry, recently announced that Doral, Fla.-based U.S. Century Bank selected NCR to elevate the digital banking experience for consumers and businesses.

$1.4 billion-asset U.S. Century Bank is currently undergoing a digital transformation across its institution and recognized the need to modernize its digital banking platform as a critical component of this initiative. The bank selected the NCR Digital Banking DI platform because of its consistent look and feel across consumer and business banking, seamless integration with innovative partners and comprehensive business banking capabilities. This win is another example of how NCR is building apps, software and services to drive front-end digital transformation.

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