According to Statista, the global audience for gaming video content (GVC) grew to 1.2 billion people in 2020. This represents an 18% growth from the previous year. Several big-name brands like Versus Systems, Shopify, PayPal, Lightspeed, and NCR Corporation have made headlines in this sector.

Versus Systems announced it was launching a proprietary rewards system via the Shopify app. The company began beta testing the application so that e-commerce companies and small businesses can offer rewards to users in-game as well as during other events. The aim of this initiative is to grow brand awareness through prizes and giveaways.

Shopify recently unveiled the company's first-quarter financial results for 2021. The organization reported that total revenue this quarter was $988.6 million, with growth accelerating to 110% year-over-year.

"More entrepreneurs around the world are choosing Shopify to launch and grow their businesses, and for good reason," said Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's President. "Our singular focus is on making entrepreneurship easier and making it easier for entrepreneurs to succeed. Merchant sales growth on our platform accelerated in the first quarter as merchants leveraged our modern commerce technology, which helps them compete in any retail environment and engage directly with their customers wherever they are."

PayPal announced plans to deposit $135 million of capital into "mission-driven financial institutions and management funds". This money will be used to help serve underrepresented communities across the globe.

Lightspeed revealed it had signed definitive agreements to acquire two global leaders in digital commerce: Ecwid and NuORDER. Once these acquisitions are closed, Lightspeed customers will be given new entry points into the digital economy.

NCR Corporation said that U.S. Century Bank chose to elevate the company's digital banking experience for businesses and consumers. NCR was selected because of "its consistent look and feel across consumer and business banking, seamless integration with innovative partners, and comprehensive business banking capabilities."

(All information was provided by Yahoo! Finance [1,2] and PR Newswire)