Confined to their homes, working from home, due to the health crisis, the French in search of distractions have, more than ever, devoted hours to board games over the past two years. Despite the closures of points of sale, the sector, which meets from February 25 to 27 at the Cannes International Games Festival (Alpes-Maritimes), displays insolent health. “Compared to 2019, the entire sector is growing by 24% in France, and by 12% in 2021”, explains Frédérique Tutt, games and toys specialist at the NPD Group firm, which collects and analyzes figures from major distributors. According to a market study carried out for Asmodee, the main publisher in the sector, the percentage of French people who play more than once a month increased by 17% after the confinements.
“There was undoubtedly a resurgence of interest in board games after the first confinement, but 2020 was still complicated, as the shops remained closed twice during the year”, nuance Patrice Boulet, co-founder of the tricolor publisher Iello. Not to mention that before the pandemic, sales of board games were on the rise, with “a “natural” growth of 20% over several years. We can indeed speak of a “Covid effect”, with 10% more growth in 2020, but above all an additional 24% in 2021”believes Mr. Boulet.
Rise of games for two people
Despite the prolonged closures, stores have generally held up well. “Sales have followed a bell shape during the pandemic”explains Patrice Pillet, treasurer of the Fun Shops Group, which brings together most of the specialist shops in France. “There was a very clear upturn coming out of the first lockdown, which has fallen back a bit, but most stores remain at higher levels than in 2019. This is linked to a double effect: people who were playing are already playing more, and we have also seen new arrivals [clients]. » The association points to an upsurge in requests for information from people who are looking to retrain after the pandemic and who are considering opening a shop.
The sharp rise in the sector, however, masks significant variations between categories of games. Collectible cards, starting with the best-selling Pokémon, had a bad year in 2020, with the closure of schools and the cessation of tournaments in stores, before rebounding very strongly in 2021. Sales of puzzles, which experienced a spectacular explosion during the confinements, have returned to more classic levels.
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