5 Top NASDAQ Gaming Stocks Year-to-Date

The gaming industry is preparing for potential launches of new consoles fromSony (OTC Pink:SNEJF,TYO:6758) andMicrosoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) this year, and the overall sector had numerous highlights in Q1 2019.

In terms of large-cap companies, Nintendo (OTC Pink:NTDOF,TYO:7974) had an exciting quarter of its own. According todata from VGChartz, Nintendo’s Switch was the best selling console in the first three months of 2019. Sales of the Switch were up 26.4 percent during the quarter, while sales of Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation 4 were down 24.7 percent and 19.3 percent respectively.

Themobile gaming space also saw a fresh breath of air with theintroduction of Xiaomi’s (OTC Pink:XIACF,HKEX:1810) Black Shark 2. It features upgraded specs compared to the previous generation.

On that note, here the Investing News Network takes a look back on which gaming stocks on the NASDAQ were the biggest gainers in Q1 2019. All numbers and figures listed below were current as of April 10, 2019. This list was generated using Finviz’s stock screener.

1. The9 (NASDAQ:NCTY)

Market cap: US$33.04 million; year-to-date gain: 86.41 percent; current share price: US$2.06

The9’s products are mobile games including “CrossFire,” “Audition Mobile” and “Fashion Pop.”

Recently, the company has diversified its business operations and hasentered into the blockchain universe. In March, the companyannounced a joint venture (JV) agreement with electric vehicle manufacturer Faraday Future. The JV was created for the Chinese market with the intention of making and selling Faraday’s V9 model and others within the country.

2. Gravity (NASDAQ:GRVY)

Market cap: US$438.56 million; year-to-date gain: 46.06 percent; current share price: US$63.113

Gravity develops and publishes online and mobile games. The company’s flagship series, “Ragnarok,” is available in over 80 countries. In its unaudited financial results, released in February, Gravity announced that it hadinked a JV with a firm in Indonesia to expand its games’ availability in Southeast Asia.

In February, Gravityreported its fourth quarter 2018 financial results, revealing that the sequel to its popular “Ragnarok R” game, “Ragnarok Adventurer,” will be released this year. Gravity also said that “Ragnarok Web MMORPG,” a browser-based game, is in the works for a 2019 launch date.

3. Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU)

Market cap: US$1.65 billion; year-to-date gain: 41.39 percent; current share price: US$11.43

Glu Mobile is known for its range of mobile games, including titles like “MLB Tap Sports Baseball” and “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.”

The company provided numerous updates in the quarter, including a multi-year agreementwith Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). In March, the company launched the game “MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2019” on Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store and Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Play Store. Glu Mobile also noted that its partnership with MLB and MLBPA has been extended through to 2024.

4. Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA)

Market cap: US$5.07 billion; year-to-date gain: 37.15 percent; current share price: US$5.46

Zynga is the company behind games like “FarmVille,” “Zynga Poker” and “CSR Racing.” The company’s games aresaid to be played by more than 1 billion people across mobile, PC and the web.

In March, Zyngaannounced that “Zynga Poker” now includes a feature where players can potentially receive payouts worth 10 times more in value compared to the amount they initially paid. The company also said that new features were added to its game, including an option that lets players play a tournament in only five to eight minutes.

5. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA)

Market cap: US$29.93 billion; year-to-date gain: 24.51 percent; current share price: US$99.90

One of the largest players in the space, Electronic Arts (EA), creates and publishes games, with brands like “The Sims,” “Madden NFL,” “FIFA,” “Battlefield” and “Need for Speed.”

In March, EA announced anagreement with Velan Studios under which EA Partners will release Velan’s product across platforms like gaming consoles, PC and mobile. According to EA, the upcoming title from Velan will introduce unique ways to watch gaming action.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Bala Yogesh, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.