Gaming has seen immense transformations since its inception, evolving alongside technological advancements over the decades. 

The Early Days: 1948-1970

The roots of gaming trace back to the 1950s when computer simulations were created as part of academic research. These foundational games were primitive by today’s standards but set the stage for what would become a dynamic industry. Notable early games included simulations of Tic-Tac-Toe and Tennis for Two, primarily available in academic settings.

The Birth of the Video Game Industry: 1971-1978

The modern era of gaming began in the early 1970s with the development of the first official home video game console – Magnavox Odyssey.  This period also saw the release of the first arcade video game, marking the beginning of widespread public engagement with video games.

The Golden Age of Arcade Video Games: 1978-1982

By the late 1970s, arcades became popular venues for gaming, leading to a rapid expansion of the industry. This era saw the development of iconic games that introduced new gameplay mechanics and narratives, enhancing the arcade experience and drawing more players. This period was crucial for setting foundational elements that would influence later developments in gaming.

Technological Advances and Expansion: 1980s-1990s

The introduction of more powerful processors and better graphics in the 1980s and 1990s allowed games to become much more detailed and immersive, with capabilities for 3D environments and more complex storylines.  The introduction of home computers and gaming consoles during this time expanded the market, bringing gaming into more homes and introducing new genres and gameplay experiences. 

The Internet and Online Gaming in the Late 1990s

As internet access became more widespread, the late 1990s and early 2000s introduced online gaming, allowing players to connect and compete with others across the globe. This connectivity changed how games were played and distributed, with digital downloads slowly beginning to complement and even replace physical game copies.

Modern Gaming Developments: 1996-Present

From the late 90s onward, the gaming industry has seen groundbreaking developments, including the rise of online gaming, mobile gaming, and more sophisticated home console systems. The introduction of internet connectivity in gaming opened up multiplayer experiences and digital game purchases.

The Current State of Gaming

Today, gaming is a multi-billion-dollar industry with a global reach. The latest gaming consoles and PCs offer high-definition graphics and immersive experiences, with cloud gaming and VR beginning to play more prominent roles. The industry continues to grow, pushing the boundaries of technology and entertainment.

Video Game Market Size

According to Precedence Research, the global video game market was valued at approximately USD 248.52 billion in 2023, with projections indicating it could reach around USD 664.96 billion by 2033. This growth, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.32% from 2024 to 2033, is largely driven by the increasing adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, which provide more immersive gaming experiences.

Namepicks 

Nintendo

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational corporation well-known for its significant impact on the video game industry. Founded in 1889 by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi as Nintendo Koppai, the company initially produced handmade hanafuda playing cards. As the company explored different business opportunities in the 1960s and later achieved public company status, Nintendo launched its first video game console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. The company catapulted to international fame with the release of its arcade game Donkey Kong in 1981, followed by the iconic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Mario Bros. in 1985.

Since these early successes, Nintendo has continued to lead the gaming industry with a series of highly successful consoles, such as the Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo DS, Wii, and the recent Switch. The company has been instrumental in creating and publishing major game franchises that have become household names, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Animal Crossing. Nintendo’s mascot, Mario, has become an international symbol of the brand. 

Nintendo’s philosophy is never to go the easy path; it’s always to challenge ourselves and try to do something new. To create a new standard, you have to be up for that challenge and really enjoy it.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo

Interestingly, the name “Nintendo” is often interpreted to mean “leave luck to heaven”, although its exact historical translation remains debated; another interpretation suggests it means “the temple of free hanafuda”.

In terms of domain strategy, Nintendo has built a robust portfolio of domain names, encompassing a variety of extensions and domains specific to its popular franchises. This strategic approach ensures brand consistency and enhances digital presence across its numerous product lines. The company owns key domain names like Nintendo.com, SuperMario.com, Pokemon.com, NintendoSwitch.com, DonkeyKong.com, Metroid.com, StarFox.com, TheLegendOfZelda.com, Pikmin.com and the three-letter domain Wii.com. These domains secure Nintendo’s online brand identity and provide dedicated platforms for their individual gaming franchises, making it easier for fans and customers to find relevant content and engage with their favourite games.

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (EA) is an American video game company that develops, publishes, and distributes interactive games, content, and online services across various platforms, including Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices, and personal computers. Founded in May 1982 by Trip Hawkins, a former Apple employee, EA has grown to become one of the industry leaders. 

By my teenage years, it became evident that my passion lay in game design. I realised that games are a potent medium for crafting artificial experiences, offering an unparalleled avenue for exploration and learning. This realisation cemented my ambition to create games, driven by the belief in their profound capacity to encapsulate and convey experiences.

Trip Hawkins, Founder of EA, in an interview for Thought Economics

Electronic Arts is known for its wide array of popular game franchises such as Battlefield, Need for Speed, The Sims, Medal of Honor, and titles under the EA Sports brand, including FIFA, Madden NFL, UFC and others.

The name “Electronic Arts” was adopted in November 1982 after its original name, Amazin’ Software, was universally disliked by the early employees, including Hawkins. Hawkins had originally considered “SoftArt” to reflect his vision of software development as an art form and developers as “software artists”.  However, this idea was adjusted after discussions with the founders of Software Arts, who expressed concerns about the potential confusion due to the similarity of the names.  The name brainstorming continued after Hawkins read a book about the film studio United Artists, and the names “Electronic Artists” and “Electronic Arts” were considered, but the final decision favoured “Electronic Arts”.

EA underscores the importance of a strong digital presence by maintaining a portfolio of over 63,000 domain names. Key domains such as NeedforSpeed.com, CapitalGames.com, TitanFail.com, Battlefield.com, SimCity.com, TheSims.com, DeadSpace.com, MassEffect.com, DragonAge.com, and ElectronicArts.com all redirect to EA’s premium two-letter domain, EA.com.

Sony

Sony Group Corporation was established in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. Originally starting as an electronics company in Japan, Sony pioneered numerous iconic products, such as the TR-55 transistor radio, the CV-2000 home video tape recorder, the Walkman portable audio player, and the CDP-101 compact disc player. Over the decades, Sony has diversified its operations significantly, marking its expansion into the entertainment industry with the acquisitions of CBS Records in 1988 and Columbia Pictures in 1989. 

Another pivotal development in Sony’s history was the launch of the PlayStation in December 1994. Developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation brand encompasses a range of products, including home video game consoles, handhelds, a media centre, and a smartphone, along with online services and magazines. The original PlayStation console was groundbreaking, becoming the first to ship over 100 million units. Its successor, the PlayStation 2, remains the best-selling home console to date. Following models like the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and the latest PlayStation 5 have continued to be highly successful, with the PlayStation 5 quickly becoming the fastest-selling console in the brand’s history. 

About the company name, the founders Morita and Ibuka prioritised global expansion as key to their success, which led them to consider the importance of a brand name that would be short, memorable, and easily pronounceable across different languages and cultures. Initially, thought about using “TTK”, the initials of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, but decided against it to avoid confusion with Tokyo Kyuko, a railway company also abbreviated as TTK. They also briefly used “Totsuko” in Japan, but it proved challenging for international markets, particularly in the United States, where it was difficult to pronounce.

For a time, they explored the name “Tokyo Teletech” but abandoned it upon discovering that “Teletech” was already used by an American company. Continuing their search for a name with universal appeal, they arrived at “Sony”. This name combined “sonus”, the Latin word for sound, and “sonny”, a 1950s American slang term for a young boy. In 1958, the company officially adopted “Sony Corporation” as its new corporate name.

Easy to pronounce and read in any language, the name Sony, which has a lively ring to it, fits comfortably with the spirit of freedom and open-mindedness.

Sony

Sony Group Corporation’s approach to domain management mirrors the breadth and variety of its business operations. Through its numerous subsidiaries and divisions, the company manages an extensive portfolio of domain names. For example, Sony Corporation of America controls over 3,200 domain names, while Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. maintains more than 2,300. 

Sony’s domain portfolio includes various domain extensions and premium domains like Sony.com and Playstation.com. CVCV (consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel) domain names like Sony.com offer numerous benefits: they are short, easy to pronounce in any language, memorable, and convey a positive, vibrant sound. The company also manages the .sony TLD and is its Registry.

Microsoft

Microsoft has significantly impacted the video game industry with its Xbox brand. The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001, marking Microsoft’s bold entry into the console wars against competitors like Sony’s PlayStation. Since then, Microsoft has expanded the Xbox lineup with several new consoles, including the Xbox 360, the Xbox One series, and the most recent Xbox Series X and Series S. The Xbox brand, under the umbrella of Microsoft Gaming—a division of Microsoft—encompasses more than just gaming consoles. It includes applications (games), the streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service launched on June 1, 2017, is a key component of Xbox’s offerings. It allows users to download and play video games from a rotating library on Xbox video game consoles or Microsoft Windows PCs. 

Microsoft’s gaming strategy includes major acquisitions aimed at strengthening its position in the gaming world. Notable purchases include Bethesda Softworks and Mojang Studios, the developer of Minecraft, which Microsoft acquired for $2.5 billion. Additionally, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard has further expanded Microsoft’s portfolio, enhancing its influence and reach in the gaming industry.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975. Allen suggested the name “Micro-Soft”, which stands for micro-computer software.

There is definitely a lot to learn from Microsoft when it comes to establishing a strong online presence. The company owns over 767,000 domain names, showcasing an impressive range that includes various extensions, common misspellings of its brand, and specific domains for its products and sub-brands such as Xbox.com, Microsoft.com, Minecraft.com, GamePass.com and many others.

Activision Blizzard

Activision Blizzard is one of the largest video game publishers in the world formed in 2008 by the merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment. The company operates through five major business units: Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, King, Major League Gaming, and Activision Blizzard Studios. Its diverse portfolio includes popular titles such as Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro from Activision’s studios; Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment; and Candy Crush Saga from King.

On January 18, 2022, Microsoft announced its intention to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a transaction that was completed on October 13, 2023, with the total cost of the acquisition amounting to $75.4 billion.

Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms. We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft

The company has established a significant online presence by securing a range of domain names. Domains such as King.com, Blizzard.com, ActivisionBlizzard.com, and Activision.com, alongside specific game sites like Warcraft.com, Worldofwarcraft.com, Diablo.com, CallofDuty.com, Overwatch.com, and StarCraft.com, play a crucial role in enhancing visibility and providing easy access to their gaming content. These domains provide direct, branded gateways to their various game worlds, reinforcing their market presence and accessibility to gamers worldwide.

Tencent

Tencent was established in November 1998 by Pony Ma, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, Charles Chen, and Zeng Liqing. The name “Tencent” derives from its Chinese name, Tengxun, which incorporates part of Pony Ma’s Chinese name, Ma Huateng, and means ” galloping fast information”. The company is a dominant force in the global gaming industry, renowned for its strategic acquisitions, extensive game development, and powerful distribution networks. As one of the largest technology conglomerates in China, Tencent has diversified its interests across various sectors, with gaming playing a pivotal role in its portfolio.

In the gaming sector, Tencent owns or has significant stakes in several of the world’s most leading gaming companies. It fully owns Riot Games, the developer of the popular “League of Legends”, and has a substantial stake in Epic Games, the developer of franchises like Fortnite, Unreal, Gears of War, and Infinity Blade.  

Tencent has investments in other major gaming companies like Activision Blizzard, Bluehole, and Ubisoft. Beyond investing, Tencent also develops and publishes its own games, including the immensely successful mobile game “Honor of Kings”.

Tencent Games, established in 2003, serves as the video game publishing arm of Tencent Interactive Entertainment, which is part of the larger Tencent Holdings digital entertainment division. This subdivision focuses primarily on online games and oversees five internal studio groups. Tencent Games launched its first game, QQ Tang, in 2004, which drew inspiration from its social media platform QQ. In 2015, it released Honor of Kings, a multiplayer online battle arena game that has become one of the highest-grossing mobile games ever. Additionally, in April 2017, Tencent Games launched WeGame, its flagship gaming platform. In 2021, Tencent Games introduced its new video game publisher brand, Level Infinite.

Level Infinite’s launch represents the next stage in Tencent Games’ evolution as a global publisher and trusted brand. We look forward to bringing gamers high-quality titles wherever and however they play.

Michelle Liu, Global CEO of Tencent Games

Regarding domain management, the company holds numerous domains for its various sub-brands. Notable domains include Tencent.com, TencentGames.com, QQ.com, LevelInfinite.com, Riot.com, RiotGames.com, HonorofKings.com, and LeagueofLegends.com. For example, Riot Games Inc. oversees more than 4,600 domains, and Shenzhen Tencent Computer Systems Co., Ltd manages over 5,400.

Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games is an American video game publisher founded in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, leveraging assets Take-Two had acquired from BMG Interactive. The company was established by Gary Foreman, Terry Donovan, Jamie King, and Dan and Sam Houser, all of whom were part of Take-Two at the time, with the Houser brothers having held executive roles at BMG Interactive.

Rockstar Games is known for publishing titles primarily in the action-adventure genre, although its racing games have also achieved success. The company’s most notable franchise is Grand Theft Auto, originally published by BMG Interactive in 1997. The latest instalment, Grand Theft Auto V, released in September 2013, has sold nearly 200 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games ever, second only to Minecraft with 300 million. Rockstar’s other popular series include Red Dead, Max Payne, Manhunt, and Midnight Club, with the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI expected to launch in 2025.

Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences. We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.

Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games has secured an extensive array of domain names to bolster its online presence, including both RockstarGames.com and the premium domain Rockstar.com. Additionally, the company owns specific game-related domains such as GrandTheftAuto.com, MaxPayne.com, ViceCity.com, and MidnightClub.com, among others, ensuring direct access to their key franchises. The parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., oversees a substantial portfolio of over 9,700 domains for its various sub-brands, demonstrating a significant investment in digital asset management to support its extensive range of gaming offerings.

CD Projekt

CD Projekt, based in Warsaw, Poland, is a prominent video game developer, publisher, and distributor established in May 1994 by Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński. Initially, Iwiński and Kiciński were video game retailers before founding CD Projekt to distribute foreign video games within the Polish market. In 2002, the company expanded its operations by creating CD Projekt Red, a division focused on developing original games, which gained fame for creating The Witcher series, which is based on the fantasy novels of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

The company continued to build on its success with notable releases such as The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015, the latter of which received numerous Game of the Year awards. In 2008, CD Projekt ventured into digital distribution with the launch of Good Old Games, now widely recognised as GOG.com.

In 2020, the company launched Cyberpunk 2077, a highly anticipated role-playing game based on the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop game system.

We’re proud to have a gamer-first approach, a diverse & supportive culture, and a focus on mature, meaningful storytelling that will inspire gamers for years to come.

CD Projekt

CD Projekt has secured several key domain names that reinforce its brand identity online, including CDProjekt.com, CDProjektRed.com, TheWitcher.com, and the concise three-letter domain GoG.com. 

The use of the .com extension, as demonstrated by GoG.com, is a common strategy among premium domain owners. This method is also employed by well-known sites such as Booking.com, Crypto.com, Tiger.com, Cars.com, Trip.com, Blockchain.com, Cats.com, and Monday.com. By integrating the .com extension into their brand names, these companies facilitate a more direct pathway for customers to access their sites. This makes the brand more memorable and decreases its dependency on third-party platforms, thereby enhancing the customer experience and boosting online visibility.

Highlights

97% of our list’s top 100 gaming companies use a .com domain name. Globally, customers tend to trust .com domains as they have been a dominant presence on the internet for decades.

84 companies on our list have secured Exact Brand Match (EBM) .com domain names for their online presence. An EBM domain, such as Example.com for a brand named “Example”, aligns perfectly with customer expectations and simplifies finding the brand online. This approach enhances trust and credibility, crucial for building strong customer relationships and gaining a competitive advantage.

None of the companies on the list has included a hyphen in its domain name. One of the downsides of using a hyphen in a domain name is that adding it to your domain name makes it harder to reach when typing.

While we make every effort to ensure the data on our site is accurate, complete, and up-to-date, we cannot guarantee its reliability. Our data is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal, financial, or other advice. We strongly recommend that you independently verify any information before relying on it.

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