Why Video Gaming and Esports, Now?

John Patrick Lee: So, why video games and eSports? What’s happening? I think, right off the bat, you have $175 billion in revenue projected to be made last year in 2020. And that’s bigger than the cybersecurity industry. That’s bigger than the robotics industry, right? So, right off the bat, we’re talking about a big industry that was flying under the radar for many, many years, until really 2020 was a breakout year as far as engagement and kind of understanding what was going on in the video game ecosystem.

And really, that’s a structural long-term growth story. And what that means is, there are trends in place that are helping to support growth. Projected to reach three billion people around the world by 2023. That’s almost half the population. So, we’re talking about something that everybody is doing all around the world. It’s not just in the US, not just in China or India. It’s everywhere around the world, people are playing video games.

And then that leads us directly to the second point, is how are people playing video games? Mobile gaming is now the largest segment and the fastest-growing segment, if you compare it against the traditional PC segment or console segment. So, mobile gaming is really driving growth for the video gaming industry as a whole. And you see that reflected in a lot of different ways. You see that reflected in mergers and acquisitions, like was just announced yesterday. EA said they were going to buy a mobile developer, Glu. Glu is a mobile-only game developer. That’s where their real focus is. And you see M&A activity as the larger publishers and conglomerates are scooping up these mid-tier and small tier development studios to boost their mobile offerings. So you’re seeing that not just happen yesterday. It’s happening a lot for a lot of different companies all over the world. Mobile gaming is huge.

And then one little wrinkle in that bubble too is very interesting, is that it’s really being supported by the emerging market space. Emerging markets’ mobile adoption is helping to fuel video game revenues for the companies that focus on the emerging markets consumer.

Next point. Publishers are using new business models. So, it used to be, you drive down to the store, you buy your Mario Kart, boom. It’s a one-time transaction. Now they’re getting consumers to spend over and over and over on the same game. And it’s called games as a service. So, it’s a new business model. And they figured out it’s working. And so, again, companies are scrambling to figure out how to incorporate the games as a service business model into their offerings.

And then finally, when you think about, okay, great. Video game markets, great. We’re very excited about it. How do you play it? What do you do with that? And there’s an index, the MVIS Global Video Gaming & eSports Index, which are ETF tracks that VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF tickers, ESPO. And it’s a targeted peer play concentrated portfolio with video game companies. And you end up with low overlap with the broad market portfolio, and relatively low correlations, which we’re hoping to lead to alpha generation, diversification, and a broad portfolio.

So, that, in a nutshell, is the video game story. And we can run through some of these slides quickly. I don’t know if I saw a question. I saw somebody beep it. Yes. This is J. Connelly that posed questions. Okay, so here, this is what it looks like when you have hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and structural long-term growth of the user base. Each year, revenues are getting bigger. Each year, more and more people are playing video games. 2020 was definitely the breakout year for video games. The ETF was up around 80-something-percent for the year in a very volatile, scary year for the broad market. And a lot of people are saying, “Well, it’s just because of COVID, and it’s going to go away when COVID’s not there.” In my opinion and our opinion, that’s not just true. There are long-term trends not specific to video game which are helping to support the industry. We’re talking about changing consumer preferences. People want to be online and interacting with their friends. Social media’s a great example of that change in preference. People want to be on their computers or on their mobile phones interacting with their friends online. That’s step one. Cord-cutting is huge.

The media landscape is much more diversified than it was 10, 15 years ago. There are options for consumers. And video games are being bucketed into the entertainment spend like this: $10 on Netflix, $10 on Hulu, $10 on Disney Plus. And I’m going to spend my $10 a month on that recurring Battle Pass subscription for Fortnite, or League of Legends, or whatever it is. So that goes back to the recurring business model these companies are using. It’s all fitting together. Video games are just kind of sitting right in the middle of all these changing consumer preferences, and the way that the media is distributed and used by consumers.

And then finally, demographics are very key. You think about a big misconception about video gamers is they’re all 13-year-olds spending their parents’ money in the basement, and that’s just not true, right? Your average video gamer is 30 years old, works a job, has money, and spends their money on video games and related video game activities, whether that’s eSports revenue, buying an eSports t-shirt, paying money for their favorite Twitch streamer, the $5-a-month subscription. So, there’s all these different ways. But I think the ultimate result is that more people are playing video games than there used to be. And I think going forward, you’re going to see more people continue to play video games. I think that this chart is going to keep going up and to the right, which is what you want to see. Because there are video games that are part of life now.

So when you think about, I’m 37 years old, people in my age group, 37 and under, we grew up playing video games, and many of us still play video games. Our children are going to play video games. Their children are going to play video games, and on and on. So, it’s a part of a life in a way that it used to not be.

[End of Audio]

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and are current as of the video’s posting date. Video commentaries are general in nature and should not be construed as investment advice. Certain statements contained herein may constitute projections, forecasts and other forward looking statements, which do not reflect actual results, are valid as of the date of this communication and subject to change without notice. Information provided by third party sources are believed to be reliable and have not been independently verified for accuracy or completeness and cannot be guaranteed. Any discussion of specific securities mentioned in the video is neither an offer to sell nor a recommendation to buy these securities.

An investment in the Fund may be subject to risks which include, among others, investing in the video gaming and esports companies, software, internet software & services and semiconductor industries, equity securities, communication services and information technology sectors, small- and medium-capitalization companies, issuer-specific changes, special risk considerations of investing in Asian, Chinese and Japanese issuers, emerging markets issuers, foreign securities, foreign currency, depositary receipts, market, operational, cash transactions, index tracking, authorized participant concentration, no guarantee of active trading market, trading issues, passive management, fund shares trading, premium/discount risk and liquidity of fund shares, non-diversified, and concentration risks, all of which may adversely affect the Fund. Foreign investments are subject to risks, which include changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations, and changes in currency exchange rates which may negatively impact the Fund's returns. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks.

MVIS Global Video Gaming and eSports Index is the exclusive property of MarketVector Indexes GmbH (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser), which has contracted with Solactive AG to maintain and calculate the Index. Solactive AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Index is calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards MarketVector Indexes GmbH, Solactive AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Index to third parties. The VanEck Vectors Video Gaming and eSports ETF is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by MarketVector Indexes GmbH and MarketVector Indexes GmbH makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.

Index returns are not Fund returns and do not reflect any management fees or brokerage expenses. Certain indices may take into account withholding taxes. Investors cannot invest directly in the Index. Returns for actual Fund investors may differ from what is shown because of differences in timing, the amount invested and fees and expenses. Index returns assume that dividends have been reinvested.

The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates and has been licensed for use by Van Eck Associates Corporation. Copyright © 2021 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, Inc., and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Redistribution or reproduction in whole or in part are prohibited without written permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. For more information on any of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC’s indices please visit www.spdji.com. S&P^® is a registered trademark of S&P Global and Dow Jones^® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the ability of any index to accurately represent the asset class or market sector that it purports to represent and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, their affiliates nor their third party licensors shall have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of any index or the data included therein.

Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com/etfs. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.

Van Eck Securities Corporation, Distributor
666 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017
800.826.2333