The outbreak of COVID-19 in US drove an immediate surge in game console search demand for Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo platforms. This demand spike eclipsed previous seasonal peaks, typically seen in the run up to Christmas during November and December months. Notably Playstation and Nintendo faired better than Xbox, with demand peaks being more than twice the size of typical year volume.
Playstation lead other game console platforms in overall search demand during the peak, yet this was increasingly driven by the consumer anticipation and research-intent around the official Playstation 5 reveal.
Xbox search interest following the outbreak of COVID-19 was driven by general Xbox terms and demand for Xbox One. The soon-to-be released Xbox One X and Xbox One S console demand showed only a minor increase in interest.
Nintendo search interest also peaked following the outbreak of COVID-19. This was primarily driven by the Nintendo Switch console, whilst the typical monthly demand for Nintendo Wii also doubled during the lockdown.