FIVE AT 5: TESTRONIC NEWS ROUND-UP

The big games announcements from Gamescom have dominated the headlines over the past week, but we’ve also seen some key reveals from Video Games Europe and Microsoft, while new research has revealed what we knew all along – that games are good for you! Here’s our weekly round-up…

Video Games Europe and the European Games Developer Federation (EGDF) have launched their annual Key Facts report. Key highlights include the fact that 75% of video game players in Europe are adults and the average age is 31.4; 53% of Europeans play video games; the overall workforce in Europe is up by 6.7% to nearly 115,000; revenue has increased by 5% to 25.7 bn Euros in key markets; women represent 24.4% of the workforce, an increase of 1.3%. Read more and download the full report here - https://shorturl.at/RaKNl

If it’s the big news on game announcements from Gamescom you’re after, Eurogamer has them all covered, including trailers and promo videos. Enjoy it here – https://shorturl.at/8v5iO

One of the busiest booths at Gamescom was Amazon’s, with huge interest and excitement around news of its upcoming title King of Meat from UK developer Glowmade. The entertainment giant’s EMEA Publishing Director Jon Rosenblatt talks here to Gamesindustry.biz about Amazon’s strategy in games: “We’re not hell bent on being just MMOs”. Learn more here - https://shorturl.at/cm6GP

Microsoft has unveiled new accessibility hardware including the Xbox Adaptive Joystick, reveals Game Developer. The firm has also revealed adaptive thumbstick toppers that can be 3D printed at home. The new devices have been launched for Xbox players to help people play "anywhere they want, in a way that works for them." Great news for making gaming more accessible, and you can read more here - https://shorturl.at/7pH00

And finally, more research on the benefits of playing video games has been published by a team at Nihon University in Japan, as reported by New Scientist. The research shows that games playing does have a positive effect on your wellbeing – and we couldn’t agree more. Dive into more of the findings here - https://shorturl.at/friCp

What were the announcements from Gamescom that caught your eye? We’d love to hear from you!

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